Everyone experiences pain at some point in their lives. It is a ubiquitous human experience and is more often than not, the reason individuals make the decision to get medical attention. For some it may be temporary, associated with a particular condition or injury. For others, pain is chronic, persisting for months, years, and in some cases, indefinitely. Whether the pain is a short term issue or a long term problem, it can have a negative impact on an individual’s physical and mental well-being and stop them from carrying out their usual daily activities.
Pain Medicine is a medical discipline that focuses on alleviating the effects of both acute and chronic pain through the use of pain relieving drugs and treatments. At New Victoria Hospital our Pain Management Clinic offers a number of procedures to help relieve the pain associated with a range of conditions. Complemented by a team of specialist nurses and physiotherapists, our private pain Consultants ensure all patients enjoy the best treatments and the highest standard of care.
Understanding Pain
While pain is a universal human experience, it comes in many forms. It can therefore be broken down into a number of different categories:
Acute Pain
Injuries and trauma, such as broken bones, cuts, sprains, busing and a nagging ache can all cause acute pain. This form of pain generally subsides once the issue has been rectified and the body has recovered.
Chronic Pain
Pain is considered ‘chronic’ if it persists for more than twelve weeks, or longer than expected after surgery. Post-traumatic pain, spinal pain, pain involving the central or peripheral nervous system and pain associated with other chronic diseases are all examples of chronic pain.
Musculoskeletal Pain
Musculoskeletal pain is a type of pain where bones, muscles, nerves, tendons and ligaments are affected. For some, it may just be felt in one part of the body. For others, suffering from conditions such as fibromyalgia, it will be felt throughout the body.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
A type of chronic pain, in a lot of cases complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) will affect an arm or a leg. Typically it comes on after an injury, surgery, stroke, or a heart attack, where the resulting pain is not in proportion with the initial injury.
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia is sudden, severe facial pain. Sufferers liken it to having a short, sharp, electric shock in the jaw, teeth, or gums. These ‘attacks’ can last from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Pain Medicine at New Victoria Hospital
At New Victoria Hospital our Pain Management Clinic is run by renowned Consultant Anaesthetists and Neurosurgeons. Supported by a team of experienced nurses and specialist Physiotherapists, they administer Pain Medicine to treat all types of pain.
Among the pain-relieving treatments we provide:
Local anaesthetics and steroids are injected into the epidural space near your spinal cord. This numbs the nerves in the area and reduces inflammation, thus providing relief from pain.
Local anaesthetics and sometimes steroids are injected into or around the facet joint, numbing it and reducing inflammation.
A type of regional anaesthetic, during a peripheral nerve block, local anaesthetics and other painkillers are injected close to the major nerves where the pain is located.
Consultants and Clinic Times
