In order to find an effective treatment for pain, it is first necessary to determine what type of pain we are talking about. There are two types of pain: “malignant” (or cancer pain) and chronic non-malignant pain. Of these two, the most frequent is pain caused by chronic generative processes such as osteoarthritis, which cause cervical pain or lumbar pain. In other words, chronic non-malignant pain. Also, chronic post-surgical pain and reflex sympathetic dystrophies such as causalgia or neuralgia due to diseases such as herpes zoster or diabetic neuropathy. If after a maximum of three months, you have not been able to control it with the usual pain treatments, it is advisable to go to a Pain Clinic to prevent the problem from becoming chronic. The sooner the appropriate treatment or technique is performed, the sooner you will begin to feel better and the fewer problems you will have in the long term.
The Pain Units or Clinics treat any type of pain that is not controlled with the usual pain treatments. They are staffed by a series of specialists (anesthesiologists specializing in pain, rehabilitation doctors, psychologists and acupuncture doctors), who, after a joint assessment of each case, indicate a treatment plan tailored to each patient.
Currently, specialists use different treatments to combat pain. The doctors at the Pain Units are experts in the use of the most up-to-date drugs in the most effective combinations. In addition, they master a series of specific techniques for each pain such as nerve blocks, which, on many occasions, help in the diagnosis of the cause of pain.
Among the latest pain treatments are radiofrequency lesions, whether thermal or pulsed, epidural stimulation, subcutaneous stimulation and spinal drug infusions. Psychologists also use techniques such as biofeedback to help reduce anxiety or depression associated with chronic pain.