Overview
Pain management starts with understanding how pain affects your life and what may be causing it. A clinician reviews your medical history, current medicines, symptoms, and vital signs, then performs a physical examination. Depending on what the evaluation shows, blood tests or imaging such as X-rays, CT scans, or MRI may be considered. These findings help inform an individualized plan aimed at reducing discomfort and supporting movement and daily function.
Common symptoms
- Persistent or long-lasting pain
- Pain that limits movement or mobility
- Pain that interferes with everyday activities
- Discomfort related to an injury or disease
- Pain that continues despite initial self-care
Conditions we evaluate
- Chronic pain associated with an injury
- Chronic pain associated with disease
- Shoulder, hip, knee, elbow, foot, ankle, hand, or wrist pain
- Lumbar spine, neck, or back pain
- Severe musculoskeletal injury or disease
Diagnosis
Diagnosis begins with a review of your medical history, symptoms, and medicines, along with vital signs and a comprehensive physical examination. Your clinician may consider blood tests or imaging, including X-rays, CT scans, and MRI, when those studies could clarify the source of pain. The goal is to understand whether an injury, disease, or another musculoskeletal problem is contributing to your symptoms and to use those findings when discussing treatment options.
Treatment options
Treatment is selected according to the cause and severity of pain, your health history, and your goals. Options may include rest, ice, sleep, nutrition, weight-related lifestyle changes, or a brace while an injury heals. Medicines or injections may help manage inflammation or pain sensations. Physical therapy can use strengthening and stretching. Regenerative medicine, including stem-cell or platelet-rich-plasma approaches, requires discussion of eligibility, potential benefits, limitations, and risks. Severe cases may be considered for orthopedic surgery.