“I have been to pain management for years, received everything on their menu, and I am exactly where I was when I started, maybe even worse!”
This is something I hear on a regular basis in my consult room. To be honest, it is conversations like this that prompted me to place a box of tissue in my consult room because sharing this information will often bring a person to tears. Spending all that time, money, and energy receiving injections, nerve ablations, and pills will little to no relief can weigh on someone tremendously.
My thoughts on Pain Management Centers
I understand there is a place for this sort of treatment. I have seen enough people suffering with excruciating back pain to know there is a place for drugs, injections, and nerve ablations. That being said, the problem I have is when a person is receiving this sort of treatment and nothing else.
You see, these treatments (drugs, injections, and nerve ablations) are all designed to treat symptoms. They are not designed to treat the cause or improve how your spine and surrounding structures are actually functioning. That is why is it important for those choosing to go the pain management route that they also include active treatments in their care. Another thing to keep in mind that pain management drugs have a high rate of dependency and addiction.
Examples of active treatments would include Chiropractic and Physical Therapy.
One final note
It does not matter how many injections, nerve ablations, or drugs you have taken….. Chances are you can still benefit from chiropractic care. In fact, many people choose to see a chiropractor as a last result, after many other treatment options have been tried and failed. I have seen people with histories of more than ten cortisone injections, eight nerve ablations, and on all kinds of opioids/pain meds. More often than not, they experience great results and can even get off some if not all of their meds. Which is a goal for almost all of them.
Ben Fonke, DC