Chronic Pain Management

Chronic pain is immensely challenging, affecting mobility, mood, and every aspect of life. If you need help with chronic pain, talk to James Ellner, MD, at Georgia Pain Management in Woodstock, Georgia. Dr. Ellner’s chronic pain management programs combine his expertise in nonsurgical pain treatments and interventional procedures that minimize medication use. Call Georgia Pain Management today to request further information or book a chronic pain management appointment online.

What is chronic pain management?

Chronic pain management is a comprehensive approach to reducing pain and improving function in patients who have long-term pain conditions.

Chronic pain lasts for many months or years. Sometimes chronic pain is curable with time and proper care, but in other cases, it persists for life.

In addition to pain, chronic diseases can affect mobility, limit your activities, and make you vulnerable to mental health problems like depression. They’re also frustrating, costly, and hard to bear.

Chronic pain management helps you to cope better with your pain and significantly improves your quality of life.

When might I benefit from chronic pain management?

Anyone who has a long-term condition that causes ongoing or recurring pain could benefit. Problems that typically require chronic pain management include:

• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic back/neck pain  
• Joint pain, including hips and knees
• Arthritis
• Postherpetic neuralgia
• Osteoporosis
• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Trigeminal and occipital neuralgia

PROCEDURES WE DO

• Spinal cord stimulation
• Cortisone shots
• Epidural injections
• Joint injections
• Spinal injections
• Facet blocks
• Medial branch blocks
• Radiofrequency Ablation
• Peripheral Nerve Block
• Stellate Ganglion Block
• Sacroiliac Joint Injection
• Selective Nerve Root Block
• Dorsal root ganglion therapy
• Trigger point injections
• Epidural Blood Patch
• Hip, Knee and Shoulder Injection
• Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Injection
• Myofacial Pain
• Occipital Nerve Block 

Some people have idiopathic pain, meaning the cause isn’t clear. Whatever the reason for your discomfort, chronic pain management can help.

What does chronic pain management involve?

Chronic pain management could involve multiple approaches, from physical and occupational therapy to psychological counseling.

Medication can be effective and appropriate in some situations, but it’s vital to be cautious with drugs like prescription opioids. These drugs can cause severe side effects and are highly addictive, so finding other pain management methods is preferable.

Georgia Pain Management designs each patient’s rehabilitation program after considering the problem and how it affects the individual. Some of the interventional pain management techniques Dr. Ellner uses include:

Steroid injections

These shots contain a strong anti-inflammatory drug and often a local anesthetic. This combination offers complete short-term pain relief and longer-term symptom reduction.

Nerve blocks

Nerve block injections have diagnostic and treatment roles. They contain a local anesthetic to numb specific areas. A stellate ganglion block often helps patients with CRPS.

Percutaneous cervical disc nucleoplasty

Dr. Ellner uses a small needle and radiofrequency energy to reduce herniated cervical (neck) discs.

Radiofrequency neurotomy

Radiofrequency neurotomy is a procedure that destroys pain nerves using radiofrequency energy.   

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS)

Spinal cord stimulation uses an implantable device to alter the messages coming from your spinal nerves so your brain doesn’t feel them as pain.

Call Georgia Pain Management or book an appointment online today to learn more about chronic pain management’s benefits.