Our Method
At NorCal Pain Treatment Center, we address pain through a multidisciplinary method. This method refers to five broad categories of pain treatments: Behavior and Lifestyle Modification, Physical Approaches, Procedures, Medications, and Alternative options. When a new patient comes to the office, we listen and investigate carefully. We search for the cause of the pain and suffering. We take into consideration what the patient has tried in the past, what they are currently doing to manage their pain, and together, with the patient taking an active role, we help them to develop a multifaceted pain management plan.
Often, this plan will include several components which fall under the following five general treatment categories:
BEHAVIORAL & LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION
In certain cases, modifying your behaviors or aspects of your lifestyle can help reduce pain that you are dealing with. We encourage our patients to discover ways that they can reduce stress and anxiety, get better sleep, improve diet and habits, strengthen social connections with friends and family and within their community. Sometimes working with a pain psychologist and implementing strategies such as biofeedback, mindfulness, meditation, and adopting positive ways of coping with illness can help improve chronic pain and reduce suffering.
PHYSICAL MODALITIES & EXERCISE
This approach focuses on physical movements that can relieve pain, increase circulation, decrease swelling, correct muscle imbalances, and improve strength and endurance. Incorporating a physical approach to your overall treatment plan might include sessions with a physical therapist or regular at-home exercises that are designed to specifically address your painful body area and to enhance your body’s ability to heal itself.
PROCEDURES
A significant part of our practice is offering interventional procedures. We provide many types of procedures such as: trigger point injections for tight knots in the muscles, epidural injections which can help with pinched nerve roots in the back and neck, injections with anti-inflammatory medicine, and spinal cord stimulators. In some cases of arthritis, we may do a procedure using needles to burn sensory nerve branches around painful arthritic joints - aka radiofrequency ablation. We also offer prolotherapy injections which can help regenerate damaged tissue, such as in the case of knee arthritis. When appropriate, interventional procedures may be implemented as part of the treatment plan to help improve painful conditions.
MEDICATIONS
While medications are not the only way to manage pain, they are often among the first things people seek when they have pain. There are many types of medications that may alleviate pain. Although over the counter medications, topical medications, and prescription drugs may reduce pain, most medications have potential short-term and long-term side effects. At our practice, we offer our patients information on responsible medication use, and we will sometimes incorporate medications into a patient’s pain treatment plan when appropriate. Certain prescription medications require frequent monitoring and patient adherence to our controlled medication policy, which is strictly enforced.
ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS
Complementary and alternative options, when integrated into a treatment plan, can be beneficial for certain types of pain. These approaches include acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga, and Tai Chi. As we develop your treatment plan, we may discuss these available options to see if they can work for you.