Aquatic therapy – Aquatic therapy may be included in the treatment plan because of its effectiveness in treating chronic pain. Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital has an onsite therapeutic pool where patients can take advantage of the unique qualities of warm water to help decrease pain and improve circulation. Gentle water resistance helps increase muscle strength and mobility and can help reduce pain.
Biofeedback – Biofeedback helps patients learn relaxation skills and techniques to control body responses to pain. Patients are led through various relaxation procedures while they are monitored by a computer. Computerized feedback identifies stressors that exacerbate pain and provides visual feedback on how the body reacts to relaxation techniques. Patients often can reduce medications by using biofeedback to learn strategies for pain control.
Cryoneurolysis – A technique that uses extreme cold to freeze nerves and interrupt the transmission of pain.
Discography – A diagnostic test used to determine the extent of disc degeneration.
Epidural injections – The most common interventional pain management procedure which delivers powerful anti-inflammatory steroids to the source of pain, allowing the area to heal and repair.
Facet injections and medial branch blocks – An injection into the posterior section of the spine to limit pain and increase movement.
Intrathecal and epidural infusion systems – Implantable medical devices that deliver medications where pain originates.
Medical management and interventions – Each patient seeking relief from pain receives a comprehensive physical and diagnostic evaluation by our physicians to determine the type and location of the pain. This evaluation indicates whether further diagnostic testing, such as blood chemistry, X-rays, imaging or other medical tests are needed and helps identify the appropriate interventional procedures and treatment options, including pharmacological, interventional or alternative procedures and techniques.
Neurolytic celiac plexus block for oncological pain – A procedure that uses chemical substances to destroy painful nerves that result from some types of cancer.
Percutaneous discectomy – A surgical technique to remove a spinal disc that is pressing on a nerve root or the spinal cord, and causing pain.
Physical and occupational therapy – Exercise is often the single most effective modality to treat pain. As part of our therapy program, patients follow a graduated regimen of stretching and strengthening to improve cardiovascular fitness, endurance and range of motion and muscle strength. As patients begin managing pain, the treatment components shift to functional activities that focus on activities of daily living, performing daily tasks and tolerating increased mobility. For patients who strive to return to work, therapists use real and simulated work tasks to prepare for their return to the workplace.
Psychological treatment – A key emphasis in our program includes behavioral training to help reduce dependent behavior and resolve barriers patients may have during the recovery process. Our pain management treatment team includes a psychologist with experience in pain management. Patients can take part in individual or group counseling sessions where the focus is on reinforcing positive behaviors. Group sessions help reduce the isolation patients may experience, while individual sessions address depression, stress management techniques and use of coping strategies.
Radiofrequency neuroablation – Pulse waves that deactivate or kill nerves around the spine which are causing intense pain.
Selective epidural and root blocks – An approach similar to epidural procedures that directly delivers pain relief through injection.
Spinal cord stimulation – Implantation of a medical device, similar to a pacemaker, that blocks pain signals before they can travel to the brain. This treatment is used if pain has not been relieved by other methods.
Sympathetic blockade – An injection to treat a condition called complex regional pain syndrome that blocks pain by resetting a circuit in the spine’s sympathetic nerve system.