JOIN USPain killers may offer relief, but that is only temporary. Dr Jones Kurian tells you how they be masking the underlying problem.
Pain is the natural reaction signalled by our brain when some part of the body is not working right. It is that unpleasant sensation, which can be experienced in various forms like shooting, piercing, radiating, pricking, tingling, pulsating, pulling and throbbing.
Undoubtedly, pain can be a nuisance. But the fact is that it is a good thing to feel pain as it allows the detection of type, location and severity of the underlying ailment.
However, it is a common habit among people to suppress pain by popping painkillers without addressing the cause. This habit can be dangerous as the temporary relief provided by painkillers can mask the real problem, which may later appear with manifold disabilities and suffering. Hence, seeking treatment for the underlying problem that is causing pain is crucial.
Getting the right diagnosis for successful treatment of any kind of pain is equally vital and here comes the role of a pain specialist.
Pain medicine, which is a relatively new medical discipline, focuses on prevention of pain and the evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of individuals in pain. A pain expert specialises in the field of pain management and uses a broad-based approach to treat all pain disorders,
ranging from pain as a symptom of disease to pain as the primary disease.
Range of care
Pain specialists are competent to provide pain management care at various levels, such as treating the patient directly, prescribing medication and rehabilitative services, performing pain relieving procedures, counselling patients and families, directing a multidisciplinary team and coordinating care with other healthcare providers.
Pain experts identify the underlying cause of pain through interpretation of one or more of the following: medical history, laboratory tests, imaging tests like X-ray and CT scan, electro-diagnostic studies, assessment of behavioural, social and occupational issues of the patient.
A proficient team of pain specialists focuses on helping men, women and children suffering from chronic as well as acute pain.
For an ideal pain management centre, the clinical protocols should be patient-specific and must follow three fundamental principles - precise diagnosis, symptom management and restoration of the body part that is suffering.
An advanced pain management clinic employs state-of-the-art technology coupled with unique treatment protocols in order to help a patient recover faster and with no side-effects.
Moreover, with the cutting-edge medical technologies now available, specialised pain management services also allow other benefits such as lesser or no requirement of oral medications, minimally-invasive treatment procedures and cost-effective therapies, when
compared to other customary modalities.
(The author is consultant pain specialist, London Pain Management Centre,
Bengaluru)