Pain Management Center

Whether it’s acute or chronic, pain is a serious symptom that should not be ignored. In fact, ongoing pain can interfere with every aspect of life, ranging from the ability to sleep to the capacity to enjoy daily activities.  Additionally, pain can be a potent stressor for post-surgical patients, affecting normal recovery and functioning. The Pain Management Center at UC Irvine Medical Center provides a wide range of state-of-the-art tests and treatments to diagnose the cause of pain and help patients control or eliminate the source of their distress, helping them improve their quality of life.

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Enlightened pain management

The Pain Management Center at UC Irvine Medical Center provides expert evaluation and treatment for all types of pain problems, including:

• Acute pain. Our pain management team is available 24 hours a day to treat pain related to surgery, trauma, obstetrical and medical emergencies.
• Chronic pain. Pain specialists at UC Irvine Medical Center use a wide variety of approaches to control pain originating from:


• Musculoskeletal abnormalities (myofacial, cervical, upper extremity and lower back)
• Post-traumatic pain syndromes (reflex sympathetic dystrophy, causalgia and aggravated neuralgia)
• Peripheral neuralgia
• Acute herpes zoster
• Post-herpatic (shingles) neuralgia


• Pediatric pain. After consultation with pediatricians, individualized treatment plans are devised to address the unique problems posed by pain in newborns, infants, children and teenagers.
• Cancer pain. Cancer pain has many causes. It can result from tissue damage caused by the cancer itself, pressure from a tumor on bone, nerves or sensitive organs, or from treatment. Cancer pain can be constant or recurring, and may result from inactivity. At the Pain Management Center, individualized treatment plans are devised after consultation with oncologists and other specialists.
• Other types of pain evaluated and treated by our specialists include:


• Headache
• Neck pain
• Cranio-facial pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Upper and lower extremity pain
• Joint pain
• Chest wall and rib pain
• Certain types of abdominal and pelvic pain.

Our multidisciplinary approach to pain management seeks to relieve symptoms, restore function and promote emotional health. The Pain Management staff includes the following professionals, uniquely qualifying us to help those who suffer from all types of pain.

• Board-certified physicians. All physicians at the UC Irvine Pain Management Center are board-certified in pain management. Therefore, they are trained and educated to provide the highest quality service utilizing state-of-the-art technology. Other physician specialists at UC Irvine Medical Center provide expertise in areas ranging from orthopedics, physical medicine, neurology and neurosurgery.
• Nursing staff. Specialized nursing personnel are available to assist patients in the treatment of their pain. Nursing staff work as part of the pain management team to provide patients with the best care possible.
• Rehabilitative specialists and physical therapists. Working closely with patients, they provide treatment to improve patient strength and function.
• Psychiatrists and pain psychologists. These professionals are available as needed to help reduce the anxiety and depression experienced by many patients suffering from pain. Other health care professionals are available to provide counseling and support for patients and their families.

The latest treatments
           
The Pain Management Center uses the most advanced developments and techniques in the field. Conventional medical pain management is combined with interventional procedures such as epidural steroid injection, radiofrequency ablation and implantable pain pumps. Alternative treatment options include biofeedback, acupuncture and herbal therapy. Services include:

• Pharmacological therapy
• Trigger point injections
• Nerve blocks for treatment and diagnosis
• Facet blocks
• Epiduralysis and epidural steroid injection
• Sacroiliac joint injections
• Intra-articular injections
• Sympathetic blocks
• Neurolytic procedure
• Spinal cord stimulators
• Intrathecal morphine pumps
• Neurosurgical ablation
• Psychiatry
• Physical therapy
• Surgery such as percutaneous discectomy, vertebroplasty, discography and other procedures to correct the source of pain