Over 50 million adults in the United States have chronic pain. In order to treat it, many take opioids. While very effective in relieving chronic pain, opioids should be taken very carefully and in moderation because they can lead to opioid addiction.
If you are addicted to opioids, there are many options to manage your chronic pain without them. Also, if addiction is a problem, there are many ways to treat it, so you are no longer dependent on opioids.
Let’s take a look at how people with opioid addiction can treat chronic pain in other ways.
Non-Opioid Chronic Pain Management
Chronic pain patients who would like an alternative to opioid medication or those who wish to reduce reliance on opioids can see a pain management specialist who specializes in interventional pain management addiction management.
Interventional pain management can help patients cope with their pain by using techniques that address the direct source of your pain without the use of addictive chemicals. Examples of interventional pain management techniques include:
- Nerve blocks. Deliver steroid medication near the affected nerve/s for pain relief. Nerve blocks are used to relieve pain that originates from the spine.
- Facet joint injections. Deliver anesthetic to the facet joint to numb it and provide long-term relief. Used to relieve pain from inflamed facet joints.
- Sacroiliac joint injections. Injection of anesthetic and steroid into the sacroiliac joint to numb the pain. Used to relieve back pain from sacroiliac joint dysfunction.
- Radiofrequency rhizotomy. Applies heat on nerves to stop the transmission of pain. Radiofrequency rhizotomy may be used for patients with cervical and lower back pain.
- Intrathecal pump implants. An implanted device — a pump — delivers pain medication to the source of pain, interrupting pain signals sent to your brain. Intrathecal pump implants can be used to relieve cancer pain.
- Electrical Stimulation. Similar to the intrathecal pump implant, a device is implanted into your body to deliver electric pulses to the source of the pain. Electrical stimulation may be used for brain, spine, and nerve conditions and diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Weaning Off Opioid Medication
As a pain patient, you can demand more effective pain treatments that do not carry a risk of addiction and minimize reliance on pain medication. Your life may be enhanced by seeking the help of an interventional pain medicine specialist whose practice is to help you wean you off addictive opioids and offer you alternatives to opioid medication.
Pain Management Doctor in Eatonton, GA
For personalized pain management, you can reach out to the experts at Lake Oconee Concierge Medicine. Our pain management specialist, Dr. Eddie Richardson, offers pain management services, including concierge care. Dr. Richardson specializes in interventional medicine and addiction management, which means he is an expert in helping patients safely wean off opioid medication while also managing their chronic pain.
Dr. Richardson aims to relieve symptoms by treating you as a whole and make your life better by providing the intimate long-term care you’ve been looking for. To schedule an appointment with pain management doctor Dr. Eddie Richardson, call (706) 484-9824 or use our online request form.
