At Pain Management Sydney, our five-step processis a multi-disciplinary approach to pain management combining medical and holistic techniques.
These five steps are based on our belief that pain is a whole person issue and requires a variety of treatment options in order to formulate an effective, long-term pain management plan.
Establishing a diagnosis and excluding surgical pathology is a crucial first step in our pain management planning.
We perform a thorough examination of the patient’s affected areas. We also obtain appropriate investigations such as MRI scans, CT scans, bone scans (checking for arthritis) and blood tests (including electrolytes, renal function, full blood count, glucose profile, liver function tests, thyroid function tests and serology for HBV and CMV).
During this stage, we may find that we need to refer a patient to a specialist such as a neurosurgeon, neurologist or endocrinologist. In worker’s compensation cases, an occupational physician referral is also helpful.
It’s vital for us to gain an accurate picture of the patient’s full medication history in order to develop an effective pain management plan for the future.
Patients who come to our clinics have often experimented with many pain-relieving medications and therapies already.
We review the efficacy of all previous medications and treatments the patient has attempted, whether helpful or not. Some of the treatments patients have experimented with include surgery, physiotherapy, acupuncture, massage and chiropractic treatments.
We take an active interventional psychological approach so that your patient can negotiate the psychological hurdles in chronic pain.
Some of these hurdles can include:
We examine any external lifestyle factors that may influence your patient’s pain as part of our whole person approach to pain management.
For patients who have chronic pain, the idea of becoming healthy and well again can seem like turning the Titanic around. Heading in the direction of wellness is dependent upon what the patient’s goals are. We work on realistic, measurable goals together and help patients to achieve their goals in small steps.
Lifestyle goals may be as simple as walking for 5 minutes daily at the same time. Goals can also focus on:
We offer interventional pain procedures that give your patient the opportunity to re-establish a healthy lifestyle. To read more about the procedures we perform, go here.