Pain management center

• Access to physicians who are recognized experts in their field
• Individualized attention from our caring, dedicated support team
• A multidisciplinary program that combines interventional treatments, physical and occupational rehabilitation, and complementary and alternative treatment methods, such as massage therapy
• Referrals to other Advocate specialists, including:
  • Physical therapists
  • Behavioral health specialists
  • Neurologists
  • Imaging specialists

At Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, you will be diagnosed and treated by a pain management specialist: a doctor, Board-certified in pain management and, often, in additional disciplines like anesthesiology, neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation. The pain specialist will consider:

• Severity
• Time - How often, for how long and at what time of day pain occurs
• Location - In one area or several, in a large area or small
• Quality - For example, stabbing, burning or crushing
• Movement or activities that make the pain better or worse
• How much it interferes with your daily activities, especially with pain that:
  • Occurs in your lower back or neck
  • Persists after an injury has healed, without a clear underlying cause
  • Is related to an illness or disease

About chronic pain

Chronic pain:

• Persists for more than three months, or beyond the expected healing period
• Is not relieved by standard medical management
• Partially or totally restricts your day-to-day activities

Physical effects of chronic pain can include:

• Tense muscles
• Limited mobility
• Changes in appetite
• Overall lack of energy

Prolonged physical effects can lead to emotional issues such as depression, anger and anxiety.

• Cancer pain management
• Nerve blocks: therapeutic and diagnostic cervical, thoracic, lumbar epidural steroid injections
• Lumbar sympathetic blocks
• Celiac plexus neurolysis
• Hypogastric plexus neurolysis
• Botox injection
• Peripheral nerve catheters
• Intrathecal pump trials
• Vertebral augmentation (vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty)
• Stellate ganglion blockade (fluoroscopic and ultrasound guided)
• Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar facet blocks (intra-articular and medial nerve branches, trigeminal nerve blocks)
• Radiofrequency ablation-thermal and pulsed
• Discography
• Peripheral nerve stimulator trials
• Consultation services to aid in comprehensive pain management
• SI joint injection
• Shoulder, knee and hip joint injections
• Trigger point injections
• Quetenza patch application
• RF ablation
• Epidural adhesiolysis
• Intradiscal procedures-biascuplasty, IDET and percutaneous disc decompression
• Spinal cord stimulation trials
• Intrathecal bactofen trials

Medication

Pain medicine comes in several forms, including pills, liquids, injections and even skin patches that can be worn for several days. However, pain medications can cause unpleasant side effects in some patients, like nausea, drowsiness and constipation. Please talk to your doctor to determine if medication is appropriate as part of your pain management regimen.

Other services provided

• Placement of intrathecal pumps for cancer and non-cancer pain
• Percutaneous placement of spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulator leaders and internal pulse generators
• Vertebral augmentation (percutaneous kyphoplasty) minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD) for spinal stenosis

Some programs and services related to back, neck and spine pain are provided in conjunction with the Advocate Health Care Brain & Spine Center.

Learn more about how Advocate's Brain & Spine Center can help relieve your back, neck and spine pain.