Pain Care & Management
Managing your pain to help you keep living.
When pain persists, let SSM Health’s team of pain care specialists help you gain your life back with safe, responsible pain management. We recognize that managing chronic or severe pain is an important part of providing health care, and improving your daily life. Our team of doctors and specialists work with you and your primary care physician to design a treatment plan to responsibly provide the best level of pain care.
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Our free guide highlights the steps you can take to find relief from your chronic back pain.
We offer a full range of pain management solutions to reduce or eliminate your pain.
What is chronic pain?
Pain is an unpleasant sense of discomfort somewhere in the body. Chronic pain is that same discomfort, but it persists or progresses over a long period of time. In contrast to acute pain that arises suddenly in response to a specific injury and is usually treatable, chronic pain persists over time and is often resistant to medical treatments. When the pain interferes with activities of daily living, it is time to seek treatment.
Chronic pain often is associated with other diagnosed conditions, including arthritis, cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia, migraines, sciatica, shingles and more. It also may result from a traumatic injury.
Getting started on your pain care journey.
If pain is interfering with your life, take action to conquer it. In most cases, a physician referral is required for treatment with an SSM Health pain care specialist. We work closely with your primary care or referring physician on an ongoing basis, so we can provide the most safe, complete pain management solution.
As your one-stop pain management service, our team includes board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians, and has access to an extensive panel of experts within the SSM Health network, including neurologists, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, oncologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and physical therapists. Additionally, as part of the SSM Health continuum of services, SSM Pain Care has substantial resources, and utilizes new and innovative medical treatments to more effectively manage pain levels and get your back to your life. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or to learn more.
Why choose SSM Health for pain care management?
SSM Health’s pain management specialists are experienced medical professionals working together toward a common goal – to relieve you from your pain so you can more fully enjoy your life. Our doctors include board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians who have the experience and training to provide each patient with first-class care.
- From initial visit through post-treatment follow up, your SSM Health care team has the combined expertise and technology to provide a complete approach to the your healthcare.
- SSM Health offers pain specialists throughout the system, meaning we have locations near work, home, and in between.
- Our pain management doctors are board certified and/or fellowship trained.
- Extensive resources provide SSM Health doctors with the most advanced medical technologies for greater pain management treatment options.
- Your pain management doctor and primary care physician work together to manage your pain, monitor progress, and make adjustments to your treatment plan as needed.
- Our courteous, friendly staff takes the time to answer your questions and walk you through the pain management process.
What are my treatment options for chronic pain?
Pain is difficult, as it can severely impact quality of life. We know that pain is more than a physical sensation—it’s exhausting, frustrating, limiting and debilitating.
At SSM Health Pain Care, our credentialed, board-certified, and fellowship-trained team of doctors works collectively to relieve you of your pain and offer the latest pain management options. We will work collaboratively with you to create a customized treatment that may include some of the following:
- Also referred to as an epidural block, pain medication is injected in to the epidural space around your spinal cord and spinal nerves, stopping the nerves from transmitting pain signal
- Used to treat: neck, mid-back, lower back pain and radiating pain
- A small amount of anesthetic and anti-inflammatory medication is injected in the area of the facet joint.
- Used to treat: neck, back, or leg pain caused by inflammation, irritation, or arthritis of the facet joints
- An injection of cortisone into the joints in the lower back.
- Used to treat: lower back pain from inflammation and/or swelling of the joint tissue
- Heat is used to create a lesion on a painful nerve to decrease pain perception by the brain.
- Used to treat: back pain, neck pain, headaches
- An injection of anesthetic into different nerves to determine if there is damage to the sympathetic nerve chain.
- Used to treat: nerve pain, reflex sympathetic dystrophy or complex regional pain syndrome in the arms or legs
- Injection of a local anesthetic into a tight band of muscles (called a trigger point) to alleviate pain.
- Used to treat: extremely painful areas of muscle, specifically in the arms, legs, lower back, and neck
- Injection of a local anesthetic between the two ribs where the intercostal nerve is located, temporarily blocking or disrupting painful nerve impulses.
- Used to treat: upper back, chest and rib pain
- Heat energy is used to alter small sensory nerves around the spinal joints that are causing pain.
- Used to treat: lower back pain
- The region around an irritated nerve root is isolated and injected with an anti-inflammatory medication.
- Used to treat: symptoms of a herniated disc, sciatica, or swelling/irritation of the nerve roots
- A pacemaker-sized stimulator device is surgically implanted under the skin. It electrically activates a pain-inhibiting process and causes a tingling sensation that masks pain. The stimulator sends pulsed electrical signals to the spinal cord to control chronic pain.
- Used to treat: lower back pain and leg pain
A spinal cord stimulator is a small surgically implanted device that emits pulsed electrical signals to the spinal cord to control your chronic pain. SSM Health offers this interventional treatment for chronic back and/or leg pain that may be considered after other therapies have failed to manage pain on their own.
How does spinal cord stimulation work?
Spinal cord stimulation alleviates pain by electrically activating pain-inhibiting neuronal circuits and masking the sensations of pain. The stimulator delivers a mild electrical signal that results in a tingling sensation (paresthesia) where the pain was felt.
The pacemaker-size device is surgically implanted in the abdominal area and leads (wires) with electrodes are connected to the epidural area of the spine. It is most commonly used to help patients manage pain associated with:
- Failed Back Syndrome (FBS) or low back syndrome
- Radicular pain syndrome or radiculopathies resulting in pain
- Herniated disk
- Postlaminectomy pain
- Multiple back operations
- Unsuccessful disk surgery
- Degenerative Disk Disease (DDD)/herniated disk pain refractory to conservative and surgical therapies
- Peripheral causalgia
- Epidural fibrosis
- Arachnoiditis or lumbar adhesive arachnoiditis
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), or causalgia
Studies have shown that the majority of patients who receive a spinal cord stimulatory experience at least a 50-percent reduction in pain. Screening trials are required before the stimulator can be permanently implanted to ensure that the patient will experience adequate pain relief.
- Like the spinal cord stimulator, an intrathecal pump is a pacemaker-sized specialized device that is surgically implanted under the skin. The pump delivers concentrated amounts of pain-relieving medications into the spinal fluid area through a small catheter (tubing).
- Used to treat: lower back pain
- These are minimally invasive procedures for vertebral compression fractures that occur in the small bones that make up the spinal column. The fractures are most common in people with the bone-thinning condition osteoporosis. In vertebroplasty, physicians inject a special cement mixture through a needle into the fractured bone. In kyphoplasty, a balloon is first inserted through the needle into the fractured bone to create a cavity or space to restrict where the cement goes.
- Used to treat: vertebral compression fractures
- Injection temporarily eliminates pain by stopping muscle spasm, helping to determine if piriformis muscle contractures are involved in the cause of the pain.
- Used to treat: buttock and sciatica-type pains
- Injection of a steroid and anesthetic around the ganglion impar nerves in the lower spine to block pain impulses.
- Used to treat: chronic pelvic pain
- A pressure gauge measures the pressure of the spinal discs to identify the source of pain, then contrast dye is injected to determine the shape of the disc.
- Used to treat: determine the source of persistent spinal pain and identify the best treatment method
- Treatment, healing, and prevention of injuries or disabilities by relieving pain, promoting healing, and restoring function and movement. Active physical therapies include stretching, strengthening, aerobic, and pain relief exercises.
- Used to treat: a variety or muscle and joint pain
Common questions about pain care management
If you have a question not listed here, please talk to your provider or contact your local SSM Health Pain Care Center.
In many cases, no physician referral is necessary to be seen at SSM Pain Care. Some medical plans do require a referral, so check with your plan. While self-referred patients may be seen at the center, they are required to be under the direction of a primary care physician. Patients return to their primary or referring physician after treatment.
Patients coming to the center will first have a medical history taken by a registered nurse and an exam performed by a physician. This allows our team to select the best treatment for each person. The treatment plans are discussed with the patient, and any questions or concerns are addressed.
Each case is unique, and depending on the type and cause of pain, your pain may be eliminated or decreased to a more manageable level.
Each individual’s likelihood of becoming addicted depends on numerous factors, including the individual’s addiction history. Talk to your doctor about your concerns.
Do not cease taking your prescribed medication without first talking to your doctor. It is just as important to follow your physician’s instructions for stopping medication as it is while taking medication.
An increase in dosage simply means you are building up a tolerance to the pain medication prescribed. It is normal for your body to build up tolerance over time, and your doctor may change your dosage or type of medication to maintain the effectiveness of your treatment. An increase in tolerance does not mean you are addicted.
