Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - Gwinnett Medical Center - (Page 45)

4 photography by photolibrary Online InterventIonal Procedures Learn more about the procedures used to ease pain and explore alternative medicine therapies. Visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/pain. A Plan to Ease Your Pain When conservative methods aren’t enough, interventional therapies may be needed to complement other treatments. Interventional therapies like injections and nerve blocks are treatments that directly interact with the areas of the body involved in the pain. Trigger-point injections—injecting a local anesthetic into trigger points in the musculature around the back— can be helpful for people with chronic lower-back pain and neck pain. But because interventional therapies can be overused, practitioners must exercise restraint. “The real key is to find someone you trust, who’s well trained and is going to be thoughtful about how much and how often, and what the balance of benefits and burdens are,” Fine says. cognItIve BehavIoral theraPy Just like physical therapy helps your body, cognitive behavioral exercises can help you learn to change the way you think and feel about your pain. “It’s similar to psychological treatment for people with phobias and anxiety. And it’s probably the most empowering thing you can do, but it does take time,” Fine says. And doing behavioral exercises certainly doesn’t mean saying no to other options. “If something’s treatable we want to treat it, but if it’s chronic and can’t be completely cured, the real role of a chronic pain physician is helping you make the best of your situation and optimize your overall health,” Fine says. 5 Manage Your Pain Close to Home Help is closer than you think. Gwinnett Medical Center–Lawrenceville’s Pain Management program is committed to maximizing patient comfort, using every tool at the team’s disposal to ease pain. “Pain is unique to each patient we treat,” says Richard Reisman, M.D., director of GMC’s Pain Management program, “so every patient receives an individualized treatment plan to meet his or her goals.” The program strives to: • Determine the cause of pain • Assess surgical options • Assess levels of pain, depression, anxiety, fatigue and function • Discuss treatment plans • Discuss whether your condition will get completely better or if you will always have pain • Set goals for pain levels and function Vim & Vigor • S pri n g 201 2 45 http://www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/pain

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - Gwinnett Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - Gwinnett Medical Center
Contents
Phil’s Feature
The Philanthropist Next Door
Special Delivery
Get Real
How Far We’ve Come
Patient Survival Guide
Perfect Attendance
A New Day
Lean on Me
Intimidated by the Gym?
What Is Your Volunteer Style?
A Prescription for Relief
PrimeTime Health
Reclaiming Form and Function
Nice Follow-Through
Out of the White Coat
SPECIAL: Transforming Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2012 - Gwinnett Medical Center