Pain Management Services
Pain treatment needs to be tailored to the individual. What works for one person may not work for the next. Our experience, research and expertise allows us to treat your pain through one, or a combination of, pain management techniques. Pain can be treated through the use of:
Pharmacological therapies
Prof Shipton may prescribe medication that is specific to the type of pain you are experiencing. The aim is to avoid using medication that is harmful for your body, and to prescribe safe and effective medication that is the best suited for reducing your pain and disability.
State-of-the-art interventional treatments
Prof Shipton is no longer undertaking interventional procedures. If indicated, pateints may be referred to interventional radiologists for procedures such as transforaminal injections and peripheral nerve blocks. Interventions such as these are always undertaken as part of a multifaceted approach to pain management.
Physical therapy
“…decrease in activity can actually worsen the situation.”
We work closely with a team of Physiotherapists who are experienced in the management of chronic pain.
People in chronic pain often tend to reduce the amount of physical activity they do as they fear they will do more damage to themselves. However this decrease in activity can actually worsen the situation.
Physiotherapy input is important to assess and provide pain management and rehabilitation plans. These entail functional goals; normalizing functioning levels; improving exercise tolerance; overcoming fear avoidance; improving activation levels; developing an understanding about pain and central sensitization; cultivating confidence with managing pain flare ups and obtaining the necessary understanding and confidence with self-management.
Psychological therapies
“The fact that a Psychologist is involved does not mean that your pain is unreal or imagined.”
We work in an interdisciplinary relationship with our Psychologists who are experienced in chronic pain management. Psychological therapy includes cognitive approaches, such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), relaxation training, distraction techniques, mindfulness, stress management and bio-feedback.
The aim is to help people work out how to live their life as normally and in the most satisfying way possible, despite the pain. The Psychologist will help you explore and discover what things in life are important and meaningful to you and what factors past and present stand in the way of you regaining control of your life. The psychological input aims to help you understand how pain affects your thoughts, feelings and relationships and can help you plan lifestyle changes that will allow you to continue participating in work and recreational activities. Psychological input is necessary for education for self-management of pain as well as management of flare-ups of acute pain. Pain often contributes to poor sleep, and a psychologist may help you learn new ways to sleep better. Having a painful condition is stressful. The Psychologist can also help you to manage stress by teaching you a variety of relaxation skills.
Surgical approaches
Patients will be referred for surgery if indicated, for example to appropriate neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, and gynaecologists.
Complementary approaches
We try to include these into the treatment plan when there is sufficient scientific evidence that they are effective for pain reduction.