Managing pain is something that the Spine Institute of Arizona is known for. It starts with treating our patients with compassion and dignity and ends with an individualized program tailored to the patient’s specific needs. Often, our pain management plan incorporates a multifaceted approach utilizing therapeutic exercise, physical rehabilitation, instructions on activity modifications, assistive devices, bracing, meditation, acupuncture, or interventions such as injections, ablations, or central nervous system stimulators. Medications are often prescribed with special attention to maximize pain relief with the least amount of risk and potential for side effects.

Incorporates a Multifaceted Approach

Many equate the term “pain management” with prescription medications such as opiates or narcotics. Although these medicines are sometimes used as one part of a multimodal pain management plan, they are used sparingly at the Spine Institute of Arizona, in compliance with professional practice guidelines and state and national mandates. Select patients in specific circumstances may require opiate analgesics for short term use, such as after surgery, or following an injury such as a spinal fracture. Long-term use of these medicines is rarely recommended, however, due to the relatively high inherent danger and low proven benefit of these medicines.