Chronic Pain

Direct answers — no jargon.

If your question isn’t here, ask us at your consultation.

• Is chronic pain a diagnosis or a symptom?
  Both. It is a symptom of whatever started it and, once established, a condition in its own right, with changes in how the nervous system processes signals. Good treatment addresses both layers.
• Can chronic pain be cured?
  Sometimes, when a specific and treatable source is found. More often the realistic goal is substantial reduction and a return to function. We are direct about which of those we think applies to you.
• I have been told nothing more can be done. Is that true?
  It depends what has actually been tried. A large part of this practice is patients who never received a specific diagnosis — no diagnostic blocks, no assessment of the facet or sacroiliac joints, no consideration of neuromodulation. Sometimes there really is nothing more; often there is.
• Will you take me off my pain medication?
  Not abruptly, and not as a precondition. Reducing reliance on long-term medication is a goal of interventional treatment rather than a requirement for it, and any changes are made with you over time.
• How many procedures will I need?
  It depends on what we find. Some patients need one well-targeted procedure. Others need a sequence, each answering a question. We tell you the plan and the decision point in advance rather than leaving it open-ended.
• Does chronic pain mean it is in my head?
  No. The nervous system changes are real and measurable. Stress, sleep, and mood genuinely affect pain, which is why we address them — but that is a statement about biology, not about whether your pain is real.
• What if my pain is in several places?
  Widespread pain raises different questions, including central sensitization and inflammatory causes. We will say so and coordinate with rheumatology or primary care rather than treating each site as an isolated problem.