“Whether a patient is suffering from pain due to an injury, or from a disease such as arthritis, there is a way to manage pain, and that way is injectible pain medication.”
Pain medications, particularly injectible pain medications, work by changing the way your brain processes pain impulses, and with careful monitoring, they can help to reduce pain levels that an over the counter painkiller can’t really match. But what about the risk of opioid addiction? Dr. Patty Pivonka thinks that the answer is in patient monitoring.
“Pain medications, quite frankly were handed out like candy. One of the reasons the opioid crisis exploded in recent years is doctors were over-prescribing pain medication instead of helping a patient to manage her or his pain.”
According to Dr. Pivonka, one way is to keep asking her patients leading questions about what triggered the pain. Was it a normal activity such as walking, getting out of a car, or was there something else involved? Is the pain truly chronic, or is it an old injury or condition that has just a flare up every now and then. Concern about prescription opioid pain medication abuses has led to creation of prescription monitoring programs, abuse-deterrent formulations, and other initiatives to curb abuse. As a pain management chiropractor in Gilbert, Dr. Pivonka doesn’t feel that monitoring is a bad thing. Quite the opposite in fact.
“Getting a pain medication shot once in a while is not an issue. But simply prescribing pain medications might mask a more serious problem. That’s why pain management and patient monitoring are so important. In a way, a pain shot or pill could be masking another problem.”
Pain that is in one area and there is a documented cause is not an issue, but inflammation of other areas or tissues near the site of the pain could indicate a larger issue. A patient might be developing rheumatoid arthritis, or might have a more serious condition such as cancer. That’s why it is good for a doctor to not only see their patients but listen to them. And for patients concerned about opioid addiction there are many different types of pain medication injections.
In a recent article appearing on Spine-Health.com, Dr. Ray Baker notes the importance of cervical, thoracic and lumbar facet joint injections.
” Facet joints are small joints at each segment of the spine that provide stability and help guide motion. The facet joints can become painful due to arthritis of the spine, a back injury, or mechanical stress to the back. A cervical, thoracic or lumbar facet joint injection involves injecting a small amount of local anesthetic (numbing agent) and/or steroid medication, which can anesthetize the facet joints and block the pain. The pain relief from a facet joint injection is intended to help a patient better tolerate a physical therapy routine to rehabilitate his or her injury or back condition.”
Dr. Pivonka agrees with Dr. Baker’s assessment.
“Physical therapy, when used in conjunction with pain medication can ultimately help to relieve a patient’s dependence on pain medication, maybe even eliminate it. However, based on a patient’s pain level, we have several different injectible pain medications from anti-inflammatory steroids to Schedule IV pain relief agents.”
For more information on pain management, please visit:
http://www.pivonkahealth.com/pain-management/
Drs. Andy and Patty Pivonka at Pivonka Health and Wellness are leaders in the health industry specializing in pain management, physical therapy, and chiropractic.
Contact
Dr. Patty Pivonka
(480) 892-0022
info@pivonkahealth.com
www. pivonkahealth.com
Media Contact
Company Name: Pivonka Health and Wellness
Contact Person: Dr. Patty Pivonka
Email: info@pivonkahealth.com
Phone: 480) 892-0022
Location Info:
Pivonka Health and Wellness
1355 South Higley Rd. #102, Gilbert, AZ 85296
480-892-0022
