Chronic Pain Management
What is Chronic Pain Management?
Chronic Pain Management & Treatment
Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks. Unlike acute pain, which is experienced due to trauma or disorder and alerts us to an injury, chronic pain often persists for many months or longer.
Our Atlanta pain management specialist will help treat the pain you feel on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. From medications and procedures to diet and mental health, there are many ways your chronic pain can be managed. Let Atlanta orthopedist Dr. V.K. Puppala provide his expertise and experience to give you the treatment you need for your chronic pain.
Conditions that Cause Chronic Pain
There are various conditions responsible for causing pain over a long period of time. Following are the most common causes of chronic pain in the patients we see at our Atlanta pain clinic.
Surgery
Tissue damage and scar tissue are some of the leading causes of chronic pain after a surgery or operation. These both can come as a result of surgeries. Nerve damage and wound inflammation can also come as by-products. It isn’t the surgery itself that causes pain after the fact, it is these conditions that come as a result that can cause pain as time goes on.
Traumas
Trauma is another possible cause of chronic pain. It can include something like an accident in which the body sustains an injury. Trauma to the systems of the body can cause immense physical pain immediately, as well as pain that lingers over time.
Similar to chronic pain as a result of surgery, things like nerve damage and scar tissue also may occur with a trauma to the body.
Neurological damage may also occur as a result of head trauma. This can cause chronic pain known as psychogenic pain – a pain that isn’t caused by any physical damage, but that comes as a result of the mind interpreting pain and transmitting it to your body with seemingly no cause.
Cancer
Cancer is an extremely broad term, as there are many different types of cancer. Pain from cancer comes in many different forms. For example, back pain is known to be associated with lung cancer. Bone pain is another symptom that comes along with many forms of the disease. Many times, such as in the case of a mastectomy, there is nerve damage that causes pain long after the procedure. This is sometimes referred to as phantom limb pain.
Arthritis
People suffering from arthritis can experience pain acutely as well as chronically. Arthritis flaring up in the knees, for example, can cause intense acute pain but can also weaken the knee and prevent full range of movement for months or years after the flare-up. This prevention of movement and pain following the acute pain would be classified as chronic.
Brain Conditions
As we briefly touched upon in the trauma section, pain is not always caused by a physical injury or disability. Pain is known as psychogenic pain describes pains attributed to purely psychological factors. For example, patients sometimes claim that painful moments from their past can cause a flare-up or worsen physical pain.
Nerve Damage
Nerve damage can be caused by a variety of different things. Surgeries, traumas, and diseases can all cause nerve damage. Once nerves are damaged, they can go completely numb or cause intermittent pain symptoms. Treatment of nerve damage and chronic pain ranges from over the counter treatments to prescription medications and sometimes further procedures. Sometimes further procedures and pain management is required.
Chronic Pain Management in Atlanta
Our Premiere Pain Management Specialist in Atlanta
V. K. Puppala, M.D. sees patients from all over the state of Georgia in his office in Villa Rica as well as his other locations. Patients from all over the Atlanta region seek his help.
Dr. Puppala is genuinely concerned about his patient’s general well-being and is known for treating all his patients with respect and compassion. Dr. Puppala takes a multidisciplinary approach by incorporating a number of minimally invasive interventional methods using practical treatments and effective medication management for pain management in Atlanta. Call 770-627-7246 or 770-MAP-PAIN today to make an appointment.
Why Choose Our Atlanta Orthopedist to Treat Your Pain Condition?
• Double Board Certified in Pain Management and Anesthesiology
• Non-surgical Approach
• State-of-the-Art Equipment
• Immediate Appointments
• Effective Treatment Plans
• Accepts most Insurance Plans
• Friendly and Knowledgeable Staff
• Convenient Locations