Our Approach to Pain Management
Comprehensive, personalized
Pain-relieving medications are the most common method of managing pain. Successful treatment involves choosing the right medication for the specific type and severity of pain. There are opioid, nonopioid and adjuvant pain-relieving medications.
Pharmacotherapy
Pain-relieving medications are the most common method of managing acute or chronic pain. Successful treatment involves choosing the right medication for the specific type and severity of pain. There are both opioid and nonopioid pain-relieving medications.
Opioids
Pain-relieving medications that are similar to opium are used to treat moderate to severe pain. These include:
- Fentanyl
- Hydrocodone
- Hydromorphone
- Methadone
- Morphine
- Oxycodone
- Oxymorphone
Nonopioids
Pain-relieving medications that are not similar to opium are used to treat mild to moderate pain. These include:
- Acetaminophen
- Cox-2 inhibitors
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications
Adjuvants
Medications that enhance the effects of pain-relieving medications include:
- Anticonvulsants
- Antidepressants
- Muscle Relaxants
- Steroids
- Topicals (such as pain-relieving salves or ointments for burns)
Complementary/Alternative Therapies
Although the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) does not consider these therapies conventional medicine, more patients are accepting them. Treatments for pain include:
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic
- Distraction (Methods such as reading, talking and virtual reality can divert attention from pain.)
- Guided Imagery
- Heat Therapy and Cold Therapy (These both decrease sensitivity to pain.)
- Hypnosis
- Music Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Relaxation (Decreasing stress, reducing muscle tension or remembering pleasant experiences can help reduce pain.)
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
Accurate pain assessment is essential to providing proper therapy.
Continually educating patients and staff is important to our work.
We have the region's only nurse-run inpatient pain management team.