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Pain Clinic a Helping Hand in Pain

" to the person with a toothache, even if the world is tottering,
there is nothing more important than a visit to a dentist…."

            ---George Bernard Shaw
Pain defined as a complex, unpleasant perception associated with tissue injury or disease process is as old as mankind. Man has been curious to find relief from this problem. From the days of primitive man, finding solace from the running water to current computer era, one can notice the desperateness to discover an answer for this agony. It is in this process the concept of pain clinic arose in the modern era.

What is Pain Clinic?

In the era where man is bent upon conquering nature whether it is air, sky, deep sea or mountains, one contribution of nature has been defying him all through generations. That happens to be pain. Pain by itself is warning signal about tissue injury. Sometimes this symptom takes different course and becomes nagging and intolerable. This particular pain of more than four weeks duration is called as chronic pain. To analyse and treat these kinds of problems, one would require a unit in the hospital and that is pain clinic.

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What is the Need for Pain Clinic?

In current day clinical practice, the need for a pain clinic arises from the fact that pain of known or unknown origin is probably second in incidence to common cold. There are those who argue that a good doctor, whatever his or her speciality, should be able to treat pain. The reality is that this doesn't always happen. Patients with chronic and intractable pain invariably end up with inadequate attention to their problems. These patients keep moving from place to place seeking help for pain relief. Many times the doctors and the patient relatives label them as psychic. It is at this juncture pain clinic provides a critical mass of experience whereby patient can be helped. Many of the methods that are needed for the pain relief are outside the sphere of one speciality. A multispeciality approach in providing relief measures goes a long way in total pain relief.

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What kind of Patients will Benefit?

Pain clinic focuses on the group of patients with pain disorders like headache, backache, neck pain, cancer pain, neuralgias, fibromyalgia, post herpetic pain, sympathetic dystrophy and other disorders. In nutshell unrelieved, intractable, incapacitating pain of more than four weeks duration needs an opinion from a pain specialist regarding the management of problem. If answer to any of the question mentioned in the pain clinic fact file is 'yes'; then you should visit a pain specialist for a comprehensive evaluation.

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What Kind of Treatment

The therapy is planned after appropriate investigations and discussions with other specialities. The treatment involves counseling, behavioral therapy, physical exercises, pharmacological therapy, physiotherapy, interventions like nerve blocks either under X-ray or CT guidance, surgery, specific therapy and unconventional treatment like acupuncture and host of others. As mentioned earlier it is beyond the scope of one speciality to provide all these measures. Hence a multispeciality approach is recommended.

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Pain Clinic Fact file

IF ANSWER TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IS 'YES', THEN YOU SHOULD VISIT THE PAIN CLINIC FOR A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION:

  1. ARE YOU UNABLE TO WORK BECAUSE OF PAIN?
  2. DOES PAIN RESTRICT YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES?
  3. HAVE YOU HAD PAIN LASTING MORE THAN 3 MONTHS?
  4. DOES PAIN AFFECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS?
  5. ARE YOU FEELING DEPRESSED BECAUSE OF UNRELIEVED PAIN?
  6. NOTHING YOU HAVE TRIED IS WORKING TO RELIEVE PAIN?

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Common Disorders Managed in Pain Clinic

  1. HEADACHE
  2. BACKACHE
  3. NECK PAIN
  4. CANCER PAIN
  5. NEURALGIA
  6. FIBROMYALGIA
  7. POST HERPETIC PAIN
  8. SYMPATHETIC DYSTROPHY
  9. OTHERS LIKE NEUROPATHY, ARTHRITIS, PAIN FOLLOWING SURGERY.

To manage patients with chronic pain is not that easy. These people in addition to physical disability often have difficult emotional and psychological problems. Their management is often very difficult and demanding. Disappointments are not infrequent and relief is often partial or of short duration, but perseverance is rewarded with a worthwhile alleviation of pain and improving the quality of life.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
DR. MURALIDHAR JOSHI
DIRECTOR, PAIN MANAGEMENT
PAIN CLINIC, KAMINENI WOCKHARDT HOSPITALS
KING KOTI, HYDERABAD - 1
MOBILE : 99490 49946
E-MAIL : drmuralidharjoshi@gmail.com
APPOINTMENTS
KAMINENI WOCKHARDT HOSPITALS - 6692 4222

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Some of the Success Stories

»  A businesswoman came with severe backache limiting her activity completely. After evaluation was found to have facet joint (small joints interconnecting the parts of back bone) degeneration. She underwent facet joint denervation under X-ray guidance and had very good pain relief. Next day she was back to her work.

»   A gentleman who had developed chicken pox (herpes zoster) was suffering from very severe pain, to the extent he had attempted suicide to get rid of the problem. He visited the pain clinic in desperation to find an answer for her problem. He was found to have post herpetic neuralgia. Under computed tomography (CT) guidance he underwent chemical lumbar sympathectomy, which gave him immediate complete relief. He was grateful to whole team.

»  A college going young girl was brought by her mother. The girl was suffering from headache. The headache used to begin half an hour after the start of class and would continue till evening. After ruling out organic pathology, it was detected that the girl hardly used to eat anything out of fear of gaining weight. The girl was told about the need for nutrition and regular physical activity to keep her fit. Three months after the discussion, the girl walked into pain clinic saying that she has secured distinction in board exams and she no longer gets headache.

»  55-year-old gentleman was diagnosed to have cancer of stomach in advanced stage. His main problem was excruciating back pain and upper abdominal pain. None of the medications could give him relief. He was advised CT guided celiac plexus block, following which he had dramatic pain relief immediately.

»  42-year-old gentleman diagnosed to have trigeminal neuralgia. He was on medications for 18 long years without much benefit. When he visited pain clinic, he was found to have a pain triggering point over his gum of molar tooth. He was given local anaesthetic injection along with steroids over the trigger point. This gave him good relief. Two more sittings gave him long lasting relief from pain. Now he is a happy man not on any medications.

»  A 32-year-old lady came to pain clinic accidentally after seeing a brochure regarding pain clinic. She was suffering from endometriosis for which she was put on hormone therapy, analgesics and so many other medications. All in vain, finally she was told that she would have to live with pain for life. Patient was evaluated in pain clinic and was advised to undergo superior hypogastric plexus diagnostic block. The procedure relieved most of her complaints; subsequently the procedure was performed using a long acting agent. Now she is leading a happy life free from earlier pain.

These are some of the chronic pain conditions managed at our pain clinic. These conditions are demanding and disappointments are not infrequent. Perserverance is rewarded with a worthwhile alleviation of suffering and improving the quality of life. The smile on the face of the person relieved from pain will give ultimate satisfaction to the pain specialist.

"GREATEST RELIEF ONE CAN OFFER TO MANKIND IS PAIN RELIEF "

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