Department of Pain Management
This is a branch of medicine employing an interdisciplinary approach for easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of those living with chronic pain. A typical pain management team includes medical practitioners, pharmacists, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, physician assistants, nurses. Medicine treats injuries and diseases to support and speed healing, and it treats distressing symptoms such as pain to relieve suffering during treatment, healing, and dying. When a painful injury or pathology is resistant to treatment and persists when pain persists after the injury or pathology has healed, and when medical science cannot identify the cause of pain, the task of medicine is to relieve suffering.
Pain management includes patient communication about pain problems. To define the pain problem, a health care provider will likely ask questions such as these:
- How intense is the pain?
- How does the pain feel?
- Where is the pain?
- What, if anything, makes the pain lessen?
- What, if anything, makes the pain increase?
- When did the pain start?
After asking questions such as these, the health care provider will have a description of the pain. Pain management will then be used to address that pain. People experiencing pain may have difficulty recognizing or describing what they feel and how intense it is. Health care providers and patients may have difficulty communicating with each other about how pain responds to treatments. There is a continuing risk in many types of pain management for the patient to take treatment which is less effective than needed or which causes other difficulty and side effects. Some treatments for pain can be harmful if overused.
Continental Hospital is a NABH and JCI-accredited facility in Hyderabad offering multi-specialty tertiary and quaternary care services. The hospital has a capacity of 750 beds with 250 operational beds currently. The hospital has Green OT, Level 3 NICU, and PICU.
Continental Hospitals is a part of IHH Healthcare, a leading premium integrated healthcare provider with a network of 84 hospitals and more than 16,000 licensed beds. It is one of the largest healthcare groups in the world by market capitalization and is listed in the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia and Main Board of SGX-ST.
Our mission is to make a difference in peoples’ lives by providing the best health care. Our sights are set on providing seamless comprehensive healthcare of the highest quality.
We aim to serve our patients and our co-workers with compassion, dignity, integrity, and mutual respect.
The Continental Hospitals Department of Pain Medicine offers the most advanced, evidence-based effective treatment options delivered by an interdisciplinary team of specialists trained in the field of chronic pain. Continental is the best hospital in Hyderabad & Telangana for addressing pain-related issues.
At Continental, Pain management practitioners come from all fields of medicine. In addition to medical practitioners, a pain management team may often benefit from the input of pharmacists, physiotherapists, clinical psychologists, and occupational therapists, among others. Together the multidisciplinary team can help create a package of care suitable to the patient.
Pain, if not treated, can be debilitating and frustrating. It may interfere with sleep, work, activities and quality time with friends and family. Pain management provides relief so you can enjoy life. But treatment is complex and can lead to harmful effects if not properly administered and monitored. That’s why pain management may require the involvement of a physician anesthesiologist who specializes in pain medicine. You will get the best options at the Continental Hospital.
Pain can have a multitude of causes and diagnosing the exact cause is a challenge. Moreover, a problem in one organ can reflect as a pain in some other location, misleading the track of diagnosis. The foremost source of diagnosis is the patient. Experts at Continental Hospitals listen carefully to the patient, take a detailed medical history use cutting edge diagnostics and apply their expertise to produce a precise diagnosis. They may consult with specialists from the hospital like Neurologists, orthopedic specialists, Psychiatrists, Rheumatologists, and any others, for any doubts and reconfirmations. All of them are under one roof and do not require the patient to run from one to the other. The pain management team consists of Anesthesiologists, Neurologists, experts in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Each of them is very well trained and highly experienced.
Blood tests: The physician may order blood tests as they rule out any disease, infections, and deficiencies as a cause of pain. Also, they give a more objective evaluation of the degree of pain since pain is a very subjective feeling. The exact cause of the pain can be determined using the additional test as follows.
X-rays: The simplest and most common test, this is the first test generally ordered for an area in pain. A detailed review may be taken using any of the other imaging tests that follow.
CT scan: X-rays and computers together create an image of a cross-section of the body in Computed Tomography scans. The execution involves entering a capsule-shaped tube which then moves through a large scanning device. Sometimes, a solution may be injected into a vein before your scan. The process takes 15 minutes to an hour.
MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging creates images using a large magnet, radio waves, and a computer. It requires a minimum of 15 minutes for one MRI. As they use magnets people with pacemakers shouldn't take the test.
Nerve blocks: These tests involve injecting an anesthetic - to numb the pain - into nerve locations, sometimes using an imaging test to decide the location for injecting it. The response to the nerve block can help locate the exact cause and location of the pain.
Discography: This test involves injecting a dye into the disc that is causing pain. This dye outlines damaged areas on X-rays. It is used on patients going in for surgery for their back pain. Myelogram: This test involves injecting a dye into the spinal canal to locate nerve compression caused by herniated disks or fractures.
EMG: An electromyogram involves putting fine needles into muscles to measure their response to electrical signals. So basically it is used to check muscle activity.
Bone scans: This involves injecting a radioactive material into the bloodstream, which then collects into areas that have some abnormality and are used to locate an infection, a fracture, or density of the bone.
Ultrasound imaging: Also known as sonography, this involves the use of high-frequency sound waves to get internal images of the body. The sound wave echoes get recorded and show up as real-time images.
Conditions treated include:
Epidural steroid and Nerve root injection: Epidural lumbar nerve root block/steroid injection are commonly performed interventional treatments for spine-related pain. These procedures are the foundation of any image-guided spine pain management practice. While more generic and not target-specific, epidural steroid injections are highly effective in a large proportion of patients.
Epidural lysis of adhesions: Epidural lysis of adhesions represents an important part of the interventional repertoire for the treatment of low back pain that is refractory to more conventional treatments such as epidural steroid injections LOA is a commonly performed procedure for treatment of back pain secondary to failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) and spinal stenosis
Headache and Facial Pain: Headache and facial pain can have numerous etiologist that are important for the clinician to consider for an exhaustive compilation of all headache and facial pain etiologies. Most patients who present with headache have 1 of the following 3 main headache syndromes: migraine, cluster headache, or tension headache.
Intrathecal drug delivery: Intrathecal drug delivery, also known as “pain pump,” uses a small pump to deliver pain medication directly to your spinal cord. The pump is surgically placed under the abdominal skin and delivers pain medication through a catheter to the area around your spinal cord.
Low Back Pain: Lower back pain can be caused by a variety of problems with any parts of the complex, interconnected network of spinal muscles, nerves, bones, discs or tendons in the lumbar spine.
Lumbar and Cervical facet joint injection: A cervical, thoracic or lumbar facet joint injection involves injecting a small amount of local anaesthetic (numbing agent) and/or steroid medication, which can anesthetize the facet joints and block the pain. The pain relief from a facet joint injection is intended to help a patient better tolerate a physical therapy routine to rehabilitate his or her injury or back condition.
Myofascial pain and Fibromyalgia: Myofascial Pain Syndrome and fibromyalgia may coexist, presenting a complex clinical picture; however, fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome are not one and the same condition. Fibromyalgia is a generalized amplification of pain or hypersensitivity condition and is associated with tender points in the muscles.
Neck Pain: Neck pain and stiffness is due to poor posture or overuse. Sometimes, neck pain is caused by injury from a fall, contact sports, or whiplash.
Neurostimulation: Neurostimulation is the purposeful modulation of the nervous system’s activity using invasive or non-invasive means (e.g. transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial electric stimulation, tES, such as tDCS or transcranial alternating current stimulation, tACS). Neurostimulation technology can improve the life quality of those who are severely paralyzed or suffering from profound losses to various sense organs.
Neuropathic (Nerve) Pain: Neuropathic pain is a complex, chronic pain state that usually is accompanied by tissue injury. With neuropathic pain, the nerve fibres themselves may be damaged, dysfunctional, or injured. These damaged nerve fibres send incorrect signals to other pain centres.
Sympathetic Blocks: A sympathetic nerve block is believed by many pain health care providers to be an effective method for controlling chronic pain. This therapy targets the sympathetic nervous system, a series of nerves that spread out from your spine to your body to help control several involuntary body functions. These include blood flow, digestion, and sweating and few more.
Sacroiliac Joint injection: The purpose of a sacroiliac joint injection has two purposes firstly, to diagnose the source of a patient’s pain, and to provide therapeutic pain relief. At times the patients are separated and a patient will undergo a purely diagnostic or therapeutic injection, although often the two are combined into one injection.
Post-Injury Chronic Pain: Also known as Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition most often affecting one of the limbs (arms, legs, hands, or feet), usually after an injury ortrauma to that limb. CRPS is believed to be caused by damage to, or malfunction of, the peripheral and central nervous systems.
Pain after Surgery: There can be excruciating pain, medications such as morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone. Benefits: Strong pain relievers. Many options are available if one is causing significant side effects. Risks: May cause nausea, vomiting, itching, drowsiness, and/or constipation. post-surgical pain relief and pain medications is before you have surgery. Being prepared can lead to more effective pain management.
Pain has many causes and many treatments. Some treatments can involve killing the pain by taking oral medications while others are holistic and therefore more prolonged. The pain can transcend organ systems and the treatment can involve experts from more than one specialty. The pain management experts at Continental Hospitals will listen carefully to the patient, evaluate the diagnosis and make a customized treatment plan. They regularly track your response to the chosen treatment plan and evaluate whether it needs to be changed, or switched for some other course.
Complicated medical histories and multidimensional pain syndromes get a multi-disciplinary Treatment plan, all under one roof at Continental Hospitals in Hyderabad. The doctors there handle so many patients annually that the diagnosis and treatment come with practiced ease. They are well versed with the entire spectrum of options such as drug treatment, pain rehabilitation and management, injection therapies and surgery involving implantable devices such as spinal cord stimulators.
Moreover, the team attending to a patient is not only restricted to the physician and a nurse but also includes assistants, practitioners, therapists of all kinds all with the common goal of executing the treatment plan successfully. Continental Hospitals offer the entire spectrum of basic and advanced pain management therapies. They include the very cutting edge in interventional and injection therapies, medication evaluation and recommendation, rehabilitative approaches, implantable pain management devices, and regenerative therapies, such as platelet-rich plasma and stem cell injections. The entire team from varied backgrounds gives access to a wide variety of options for comprehensive, innovative, supportive care and a successful treatment plan. Treatments range from pain killers, prescription drugs to mind/body therapy techniques like meditation, regression therapy, counseling to physical application techniques like acupuncture, acupressure, massages, heat treatment, cold treatment and invasive treatment like injections and surgeries. There are a lot of implements available that can assist a person in pain to relieve pain. But again, treatment of pain can use a combination of these treatments.
Oral drugs: Uses oral medications like pain killers or other prescribed medications. Simpler pain killers include crocin, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. Both relieve pain caused by muscle aches and stiffness, and additionally, NSAIDs reduce inflammation (swelling and irritation.
If these do not affect, stronger oral medicines are prescribed, such as muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, prescription NSAIDs or a short course of stronger painkillers. Steroid injections in restricted amounts at the site of a joint problem can reduce swelling and inflammation. An epidural is injected to relieve lower back pain.
Ointments: Makes use of application medicines like balms, creams, lotions, or sprays. These are applied to the skin to relieve pain and inflammation from sore muscles and arthritis. Sometimes medicated bandages are also used for the same reasons.
Mind therapies: Since a lot of strain or anxiety of the mind can translate to pains, sometimes it pays to address those. Simple solutions like counseling, meditation, sermons are used. But if they fail psychiatrists and psychologists can be engaged.
Therapies: Physical and occupational therapists can help assist a person in handling pain. They can suggest devices, implements or exercises suitable to the condition of the patient and
Nerve-block injections: A bunch of nerves that causes pain to a specific organ or region can be blocked using local medication by injecting a nerve-numbing substance called nerve blocks. Nerve blocks are of many types but have ti be used with caution. They could cause other dangerous side effects and a patient has to rely upon his doctor's advice for it.
Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA): This is another method of pain control. A patient can administer a measured dose of medication infused with opioids on himself by the mere push of a button on a computerized pump. The pump is connected to a small tube permitting the injection of the medication intravenously or into the spinal area. This is used very often in the hospital to handle post-traumatic or post-surgical pain as well as terminal cancer pain.
Surgery: The last resort if all else fails is surgery and is used to replace the problematic bone with an artificial object. All kinds of surgeries in all kinds of joints are possible and an orthopedic surgeon has to be consulted.
Continental Hospitals, Hyderabad provides you with some of the best doctors in the country. Our consultants are widely renowned in their respective fields and come with a wide range of experience and expertise, with qualifications from premier institutes. Specialists in various branches of pain, our doctors deliver comprehensive treatment and care. Visit us at Continental Hospitals, Hyderabad, for consulting with the best team of pain management doctors in India.
Our doctors have specializations from well-known institutes and are selected with great care. They are encouraged to update themselves, carry out research and improve the quality of treatment given to our patients. There are conferences and live courses conducted which help the doctors to grow professionally that may be immediately applied to individual practice and system improvement. Continental Hospitals is one of the best hospitals for pain management in Hyderabad we have specialized doctors in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of different kinds of pain faced by people.
