Services | Orthopedics and Pain Medicine Physician located in Edison, Clifton, Hazlet, Jersey City and West Orange, NJ | Garden State Pain & Orthopedics

Chronic Pain services offered in Edison, Clifton, Hazlet, Jersey City and West Orange, NJ

It’s estimated that at least 11% of Americans experience chronic pain every day and many of them aren’t getting relief from conventional treatments. The doctors at Garden State Pain & Orthopedics specialize in the field of interventional pain medicine, which means they specialize in unique treatments that directly affect the underlying cause to provide relief from chronic pain. If you’d like to learn more about your treatment options, please call one of their offices in Edison, Clifton, Hazlet, Paramus, or Jersey City, New Jersey, or book an appointment online for a consultation with one of their pain experts.

Chronic Pain Q & A

What causes chronic pain?

Chronic pain is defined as persistent pain that lasts longer than three months. Sometimes it’s hard to identify the source of chronic pain, because it can develop from an injury that healed long ago.

Underlying diseases, such as arthritis and cancer, frequently lead to chronic pain. Some people develop ongoing pain after surgery. One of the most common causes is lower back pain, which often arises from disc herniation and nerve compression.

How is chronic pain treated?

Treatment for chronic pain is always designed to meet each person’s health needs. It may include physical therapy, medications, and interventional procedures to target and eliminate the source of your pain. A few examples of minimally-invasive interventional procedures include:

What is an intrathecal pain pump?

An intrathecal pain pump delivers medication directly to your spinal cord. Your doctor at Garden State Pain & Orthopedics inserts a small pump under the skin of your abdomen. The pump holds medication, which is sent through a catheter placed in the intrathecal space surrounding your spinal cord.

By delivering medication directly into cerebrospinal fluid in the intrathecal space, you get significant pain relief with a small amount of medication. An intrathecal pump can help you reduce or eliminate oral medications, so you avoid side effects.

What can you expect from opioid management?

Opioid medications are commonly prescribed following surgery and for patients with debilitating chronic pain. While opioids may be the best option for a period of time, they can’t be used over the long term due to side effects, the need for ever-increasing doses, and the risk of overdose.

The doctors at Garden State Pain & Orthopedics offer pain treatment options that can eliminate the need for opioids. They work with you to develop a treatment plan in which they gradually taper your opioid dose while managing your pain and preventing withdrawal symptoms.

Can medicinal marijuana relieve chronic pain?

The active ingredients in marijuana, cannabinoids, interact with nerves in ways that stop pain signals reaching the brain. They may also have an anti-inflammatory effect. As a result, medicinal marijuana diminishes chronic pain, often relieving pain and inflammation in conditions that don’t respond to other treatments, such as neuropathic pain.