Patient Education

How Can Pain Be Treated?

Pain treatment needs to be tailored to the individual. What works for one person may not work for the next. Pain can be treated through the use of:

Drug Therapies

Acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and others; opioids (also called narcotics); so-called adjuvant analgesics, which are drugs that are used primarily to treat conditions other than pain but can relieve some painful conditions. Adjuvant drugs include antidepressants, anticonvulsants, local anesthetics, and others.

Rehabilitation Therapies

Physical therapy, occupational therapy, treatments such as heat, cold, ultrasound, and others.

Psychological Therapies

Cognitive approaches, such as relaxation training, distraction techniques, hypnosis, biofeedback, and other behavioral approaches; other types of psychotherapy.

Anesthetic Therapies

Nerve blocks, drug infusion into the spine, spinal cord stimulation.

Neurostimulatory Procedures

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), acupuncture, invasive stimulatory therapies (spinal cord and brain).

Surgical Approaches

Alternative or Complementary Approaches