Pain serves a useful purpose in our survival because it alerts us to illness or injury and sometimes referred to as the fifth vital sign. However,chronic or persistent pain can be disabling and needs specialist input and intervention for the individual to be able to return to well being and optimal function.
Sometimes there is a clear cause such as arthritis, cancer, a back injury or post-operative pain after surgery. In other cases, however, people find that no one has been able to explain the reason for their pain. Chronic pain can have a negative influence on your quality of life, affecting not only your physical health but also your emotional wellbeing, your employment and your family. Fortunately, there are many methods to control pain and help you get back to a fulfilling lifestyle. Pain management takes a holistic view, treating the whole person with a combination of methods that suit the individual best. Some of the treatments available include:
The Pain Management service is led by our Pain Consultant Dr Ravindran , who is integral in the delivery of our pain management programmes. Our extended scope physiotherapy team use diagnostic ultrasound to aid physical examination and arrive at a diagnosis , to ensure the right treatment method is adopted for the condition. Our ESP – MSK Clinician also specialises in spinal pain and joint injections. Therefore, we are able to offer a comprehensive Musculoskeletal service and refer locally for other complex interventions and diagnostic screening.