Acute Pain Management: How It Works

Pain management doctors have a variety of tools at their disposal for acute pain management. Acute pain management is a form of medical care that focuses on providing relief from sudden and severe pain. It involves identifying the cause of the acute pain, determining the best course of treatment to reduce or eliminate it, and monitoring its progress over time.

Here, we will talk about how pain management doctors treat patients with acute pain.

What is Causing the Acute Pain?

Acute pain can be caused by many different things, such as accidents, overuse, injuries, and surgeries. The goal of an effective acute pain care plan is to provide fast-acting relief, while also helping patients manage their long-term recovery process effectively. In order to do this effectively, you must first come to a correct conclusion on the cause of the pain.

Options For Acute Pain Management

The goal of acute pain management is to provide relief from discomfort while allowing for healing and recovery with minimal side effects or complications. Treatment plans are tailored to individual needs based on factors like age, medical history, and severity of symptoms.

When it comes to managing acute pain, there are several strategies that may be employed by your pain management doctor, such as:

1. Medication

This includes both over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, which can help reduce pain and inflammation, as well as topical creams that can decrease the sensation of pain. Some patients may already be taking medication that may interact with OTC drugs, in which case, the doctor will prescribe another.

2. Bracing and Casting

Provides support for healing tissues, while limiting movement of injured joints/muscles/ligaments to prevent aggravating the injury.

3. Physical Therapy

This type of intervention helps with boosting circulation, reducing tightness in the body, and improving flexibility and range of motion through stretching and strengthening techniques. Physical therapy modalities such as ultrasound or electrical stimulation can also help with relieving pain.

4. Behavioral Interventions

These include relaxation techniques such as yoga and mindfulness meditation, which can also help decrease the perception of pain, as well as exercise programs for the patient to enjoy long-term relief from pain.

5. Interventional Procedures

These procedures are minimally invasive and include injections directly into the painful areas or the implantation of a device under the skin. Some examples of interventional pain techniques for acute pain management include:

• • Corticosteroids in order to decrease swelling and inflammation
  • Combination of steroids and anesthetic to relax tight muscles
  • Nerve blocks block transmission signals between nerves and prevent pain signals from reaching the brain
  • Low-level electrical impulses delivered by an implanted device to block pain signals from reaching the brain

6. Nutrition Counseling

Proper nutrition is essential to providing the body with the proteins that are important for tissue repair, vitamins A and C for tissue healing, plus minerals like calcium and iron, which are needed for bone repair. These are key components needed to ensure proper healing of pain and injuries.

Acute Pain Management in St. Peters, O’Fallon, and Wentzville, MO

If you are experiencing acute pain from orthopedic conditions such as overuse or injury, our orthopedic specialists at Advanced Bone & Joint in St. Charles County, Missouri, can help. We are an orthopedic practice with a talented pain management doctor, Dr. Zachary P. Fallon, on our staff, who offers you his expertise and a range of interventional pain treatments to help heal and make the pain go away.

Dr. Zachary P. Fallon is a top choice in St. Peters, O’Fallon, and Wentzville for comprehensive pain management services. To schedule an appointment with us, call our office today at (636) 229-4222, or use our convenient online request form.