{"id":1632,"date":"2008-08-01T14:24:59","date_gmt":"2008-08-01T18:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ehealth.cooperhealth.org\/?p=1632"},"modified":"2008-08-01T14:24:59","modified_gmt":"2008-08-01T18:24:59","slug":"help-for-chronic-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/ehealth\/2008\/08\/01\/help-for-chronic-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"Help for Chronic Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Help<\/a>Of the estimated 70 million Americans affected by chronic pain, many fail to talk about it with their primary care doctors or medical specialists. Some people are silent because they\u2019re unaware of available treatment options that might help them. Others fear they might be perceived as a \u201cbad patient\u201d or \u201cweak.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cEven if you\u2019re being treated with medications, persistent pain should always be discussed with your doctor whether your pain persists after a previous surgery or an injury that has long-since healed, or from a spinal problem or ongoing medical condition, such as CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), fibromyalgia or cancer,\u201d said anesthesiologist and pain management specialist Michael E. Goldberg, M.D.<\/a>, Chief of Anesthesiology at Cooper University Hospital and Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cOftentimes, if one therapy isn\u2019t effectively controlling your pain, it\u2019s possible that another therapy can,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you talk with your primary care doctor or medical specialist about your unremitting or worsening pain, that doctor can refer you for evaluation by a pain-management physician, who is specially trained in the pathophysiology and treatment of pain,\u201d Dr. Goldberg said.<\/p>\n

Cooper\u2019s Pain Management Center<\/a>, which is co-directed by Cooper anesthesiologists Richard A. Domsky, M.D.<\/a>, and Robert A. Hirsh, M.D.<\/a>, specializes in diagnosing patients\u2019 pain and properly treating the pain itself. Most treatments are non-surgical interventions designed to offer relief to those with difficult-to-treat pain, as well as to those desiring therapeutic relief as an alternative to surgery. For some patients, the Center recommends implantable technologies, such as peripheral nerve or spinal cord stimulators, which are offered in conjunction with the Center\u2019s specialized neurosurgical team.<\/p>\n

By using a multi-disciplinary, team-approach to pain diagnosis, evaluation and treatment, Cooper\u2019s Pain Management Center offers patients the expertise of several clinical specialists, including anesthesiologists, neurologists, physiatrists, oncologists and psychiatrists. Also part of Cooper\u2019s pain-management team is a host of other medical and behavioral specialists, including occupational and physical therapists, psychologists, supportive-care specialists, social workers, and alternative- and complementary-medicine specialists and therapists.<\/p>\n

\u201cCooper\u2019s Pain Management Center offers patients the advantage of comprehensive service and personalized care to address all of the issues that affect patients with serious pain,\u201d Dr. Goldberg said.<\/p>\n

Conditions treated at the Center include:<\/p>\n