Pain Management

Opioids are powerful drugs. They control severe pain. But they can be dangerous or even life threatening if used incorrectly. Follow these guidelines for safe use.

Your surgery is done, and now it's time to focus on pain control and recovery. Most people can expect to have some pain after surgery. But it should never be unbearable. Your doctor wants you to be comfortable enough to take deep breaths and move as needed. This will help your recovery.

Opioids are a powerful class of drugs. They can control severe pain. But many people who use opioids experience some side effects. You should be aware of these side effects so you can use these drugs safely.

Because we all feel pain differently, managing it after surgery can be tricky. In the past, we focused mostly on medications. Often, these were opioids. But now, we use a mix of pain-fighting techniques. We call it the "multimodal" method. It deals with the whole body and the mind. And it can cut down on the need for opioids.

This form of constipation is linked to opioids. It's a common problem for patients who manage pain with these drugs.

You take an opioid medication for pain, and it's causing constipation. This is a common problem for people who take these kinds of medications. But the symptoms can be improved. We can treat your constipation without changing your pain medication. But first, you need to tell your doctor about the problem. Here are some tips to help.

Opioids are a powerful class of drugs. They can control severe pain. But they often aren't recommended for many types of chronic pain. That's because their long-term use can cause your body to begin to depend on them.

You've had surgery, and you're recovering at home. During this time, it's normal to have some pain. But your pain should never be unbearable. If you're following your care plan, you should be keeping it under control. Here are some tips for a comfortable recovery.

Opioids are a class of powerful drugs. They can block pain signals, and they can help control severe pain. But they can be dangerous. Over time, you may find it hard to stop taking opioids. And some people become addicted to the drugs.

If you've had an injury or a surgery, your doctor may prescribe an "opioid." This is a type of powerful painkiller. Opioids can mask severe pain. They may help when other pain control methods aren't working. But they can also affect your brain in a way that's harmful. You can become addicted. Let's learn about how they interact with your brain.

If you're taking an opioid to control pain, your doctor may have warned you about misuse. That's because opioid misuse leads to addiction. And opioid addiction has become a widespread problem. Let's learn about this public health crisis.

We know pain and depression are linked. If you're in pain, you can become depressed about it. But did you know depression is also linked to certain pain medications? Let's take a few minutes to learn about this connection.

When it's time for you to stop taking your opioid medication, you need to do it safely. If you've only been using your medication for a brief time, your doctor may say it's OK to stop suddenly. But if you've used it for longer, your doctor may say you need to stop gradually to let your body adjust. We call this "tapering."

If you're done taking opioids but have some pills left over, it's time to get rid of them. Keeping unused pills isn't safe. They can be deadly to people or pets who may find them. But don't simply throw opioids in the trash. Here's how to dispose of them safely.

Opioids are powerful tools for controlling short-term pain. But using them for a long time can be dangerous. That's because long-term use causes severe side effects. Let's look at how they can impact you.

Opioids are powerful for controlling pain. But too often, they are abused. This leads to dependence and addiction. And as this happens, your personality can change.

When you are being treated for an injury, illness or a chronic condition, you may be asked to talk about the level of pain you feel. This can be tricky, because pain can be difficult to describe. Pain can cause many types of sensations, and what feels very painful for one person may not feel so bad for another.

While you are hospitalized, your doctor may choose to let you control your own pain medication with a device called a patient-controlled analgesia (or PCA) pump. This pump is especially helpful for patients who are recovering from surgery. Because you control your own medication, you can fight pain as soon as you begin to feel it.

This is a method of pain control. With it, you push a button attached to an IV pump device to give yourself a dose of pain relief medication. PCEA is often used to ease the pain of childbirth. It can also be helpful in the days immediately after some surgical procedures.

This is a treatment that helps with the pain of trigger points. Those are small, tender knots in your muscles. They can be very sore when you press them. Sometimes they cause pain in other parts of your body. With dry needling, your therapist targets these knots directly with a thin needle. No medicine is injected.

This outpatient procedure is an injection performed to relieve pain in the upper back.

This is an injection of medicine. It targets pain in the ilioinguinal nerve, which travels from your spine to your groin. This injection can help your doctor find the source of your pain. It can also give you pain relief.

If you live with pain that won't go away, you know how frustrating it can be. Interventional pain management is a branch of medical care that can help. Specialists in this field find the cause of your pain. They treat it at its source. This can give you a better quality of life.

When we think of BOTOX, we often think of wrinkle reduction. But these injections have other uses. They also treat pain. Let's learn about BOTOX and what types of pain it treats.

This happens when a muscle stretches too far. It causes the muscle fibers to tear, leaving the muscle in two separate pieces. The two parts of the muscle may pull apart, leaving a gap between them.

This common injury is an overstretching of a muscle. It causes muscle fibers to tear. A muscle strain can happen to any muscle in the body, and it can range from mild to severe. A very bad strain can cause a complete muscle tear.

This movement disorder causes your neck muscles to contract. Your head may turn or tilt. This can happen in brief spasms, or it can be a constant contraction. You can't control it, and it may be painful. Cervical dystonia can disrupt your daily life.

This movement disorder involves muscle contractions you can't control. You might experience cramping or twisting. You might make slow, repetitive movements. It can affect one or more parts of your body. Dystonia can be painful. And it may make daily tasks hard to do.