Pain is a complex medical problem that can have profound effects on your physical and emotional well-being. Whether you suffer from: • Acute back or neck pain
• Chronic back or neck pain
• Shingles Our goal is to help you: • Decrease your level of pain and suffering
• Return you to your maximum level of functioning and independence
• Restore your quality of life We do this by offering a range of services for patients with acute or chronic pain.

What is pain?

Because perception and tolerance of pain vary widely from individual to individual, pain is difficult to define and describe. Essentially, pain is the way your brain interprets information about a particular sensation that your body is experiencing. Information about this painful sensation is sent via nerve pathways to your brain. The way in which your brain interprets these signals as "pain" can be affected by many outside factors, some of which can be controlled by special techniques. Acute pain is of short duration, usually the result of an injury, surgery or illness. This type of pain includes:
• Acute injuries
• Post-operative pain
• Post-trauma pain
 
Chronic pain is an ongoing condition, such as
• Back and neck pain
• Headaches
• Nerve injury pain
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Pain related to illness   Treatments for acute and chronic pain are generally quite different.
• In some cases, pain can be stopped or alleviated by a single procedure or series of procedures.
• Sometimes, chronic pain is part of a widespread disease process, and the specific cause may be difficult to pinpoint.
• Once we have identified the specific factor causing the pain, we may be able to treat it so that the condition no longer occurs.
• In some patients, the specific factor causing the pain -- such as cancer -- cannot be changed, but we may be able to reduce the pain or help you better cope with the pain through a combination of techniques.   Your physician may refer you to the St. Mary's of Michigan Pain Management Center because your pain condition has not responded to conventional therapies.

Pain Management Treatments

Your recommended treatment may include: • Medications - different medications are prescribed to treat different aspects of your pain
• Procedures - like epidural steroid injections may also be used in conjunction with other treatments
• Rehabilitation -- to help you resume as active and healthy a lifestyle as possible.   If you are experiencing pain, we encourage you to take one of the following actions: 1.  If you don't have a primary care doctor, please search for one now. He or she can refer you for evaluation at the St. Mary's of Michigan Pain Management Center.
2.  If you have a prescription for pain control, such as epidural injections, contact the St. Mary's of Michigan Pain Management Center at (989) 497-3025.