Did you know that September is National Pain Awareness month? At Central Indiana Orthopedics, we know that pain can be debilitating and affect a person’s quality of life. Our doctors are committed to treating chronic pain and providing each patient compassionate, personalized care so they can live their best life.
Nearly 100 million Americans experience chronic pain, which is more than those who have heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined. Our experienced orthopedic and pain management doctors are experts in treating many types of chronic pain, including:
- Back and Neck Pain
- Joint Pain
While arthritis may be the most common cause of chronic pain, it’s important to have a discussion with a specialist to determine the source of discomfort and appropriate treatment options to relieve the pain.
Conservative Treatment
Conservative treatment includes several non-surgical alternatives to help ease chronic pain. These treatments may vary depending on the type and location of pain and can offer short-term relief. While these methods offer a temporary “Band-Aid” for the pain, surgery may be recommended as a long-term solution.
Over-the-counter NSAIDs
Over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen can help ease your aches and pains temporarily. We recommend you have a conversation with your doctor before taking any new medications.
Activity modification
While we are proponents of everyone living an active, healthy lifestyle, if a certain activity is causing pain and affecting your quality of life, it may be time to modify the frequency of the activity or find an alternative activity until you are ready for a more long-term treatment plan to relieve pain.
Injections
- Cortisone injections: Cortisone injections are used to treat painful and swollen joints. The solution is injected directly into the affected joint and can provide temporary pain relief up to several months.
- Pain management injections: Pain management injections, or epidural steroid injections, are a type of therapeutic injection used to provide pain relief, most commonly in a patient’s neck or back. Relief can last several months.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy may be recommended in conjunction with other conservative methods to help strengthen your muscles and joints, improve mobility and decrease pain.
In the coming weeks, we will take a deeper dive into chronic pain and surgical treatments that may be recommended for pain relief. In the meantime, if you’re ready to have a conversation about how chronic pain is affecting your life, visit ciocenter.com/physicians to learn more about our board-certified doctors. To schedule a consultation, Chat with us online at ciocenter.com or call us at 800-622-6575.