Pain Management

Chronic pain can seem like a struggle, no matter where it is in your body. You may find yourself exhausted from pain keeping you up at night. Or you might be frustrated by pain limiting your ability to move around like you used to. And you may even miss work because of it.

Pain can arise from a wide range of diseases and injuries — such as sprained back, arthritis or cancer. In other cases, pain may simply be a result of aging or poor posture. Sometimes, the pain becomes unbearable, and more conservative treatments — like physical therapy — no longer work. At that point, it may be time to look into medications and procedures to find relief.

Acute Pain vs. Chronic Pain

Acute pain comes on quickly and is typically temporary. This type of pain is usually the result of an injury. And once that injury is healed, the pain generally stops.

Chronic pain, on the other hand, comes and goes over a long period of time. It’s usually diagnosed after three to six months of pain. Sometimes, diseases can cause chronic pain. Other times, acute pain can worsen into chronic pain.

If you have persistent pain, consult your primary care doctor. They can help you decide if you need treatment from a pain management specialist.

Stormont Vail Health provides consultations, diagnosis, and treatment for both acute and chronic pain conditions. We aim to eliminate or reduce your pain, and restore your independence and quality of life. We care for patients with neck pain, back pain, and other pain conditions.

If your pain is caused by a disease or an injury, chances are you are also seeing a neurosurgeon, physical therapist, or other specialist. We integrate our pain management care with these specialists.

If you are coming to us after working with your primary care doctor for initial pain management, we will communicate with them to ensure we understand your condition and background as well as review the treatments you have received. This helps us determine which treatment options are best for your pain management.

And after beginning treatment, we will update your primary care doctor about your well-being to keep them in the loop.

Conditions We Treat

We treat a variety of pain conditions. If you need a consultation, ask your primary care doctor or specialist for a referral.

• Back Pain

  Back pain can be felt in your upper, middle, or lower back. Common causes of back pain include:

  • Strained muscles or spinal ligaments caused by sudden movement or repetitive heavy lifting
  • Arthritis
  • Scoliosis or other spinal curvatures
  • Osteoporosis, which can cause weak and brittle bones

• Neck Pain

  Neck pain can be felt as a sharp pain in one spot or as a radiating pain that spreads to your shoulders, arms and legs. You may feel as if your neck is stiff and can’t easily turn your head. Many conditions can cause neck pain — from neurological conditions such as arthritis to chronic wear and tear in your spinal discs.

• Arthritis

  Arthritis is a common cause of chronic pain. Your age and gender, as well as the type of arthritis, play a role in how and where you experience this pain.

• Pain after Surgery

  Because surgery involves damaging tissues, typically you could experience constant or intermittent pain after surgery. This pain may be felt in the skin or in an organ.

• Cancer Pain

  Cancer pain can affect your daily activity and your mood. This pain can come from the cancer itself or from the cancer treatment.

• Facial Pain (Trigeminal Neuralgia)

  Trigeminal neuralgia is severe nerve pain. During an episode, the pain may feel like an electric shock. These episodes might gradually become more frequent and intense.

• Pain from Shingles

  Shingles is a viral infection that can cause a painful rash. Your body may feel sensitive to touch, and you could develop fluid-filled blisters.

• Postherpetic Neuralgia

  This pain sometimes develops as a complication of shingles. It causes burning pain that persists at least 3 months after shingles rashes and blisters have disappeared.

• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

  This chronic pain condition usually develops in one limb — typically an arm, leg, hand or foot — after an injury.

We also treat pain from car accidents and work injuries, as well as muscle pain, and pain that radiates into the arms or legs.

Our Treatments and Services

Our Interventional Pain Management Physicians have undergone specialized training in pain management during their fellowships or residencies.

During your visit, they will go over the results of any imaging that was done, as well as discuss the treatment plan with you in order to help you work toward your goals.

Treatments we offer include:

• Epidural Steroid Injection
• Facet Joint Injection
• Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
• Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)
• Trigger Point Injection
• Intrathecal Pain Pump
• Celiac Plexus Block
• Superior Hypogastric Block
• Ganglion Impar Block
• Trigeminal Nerve Block
• Blood Patch
• Stellate Ganglion Block
• Lumbar Sympathetic Block
• Intercostal Block Injection
• Occipital Nerve Block

Meet Our Pain Management Providers

Justin M. Anderson
M.D.

Pain Medicine

Matthew A. Caldwell
M.D.

Anesthesia
Pain Medicine

Amanda L. Colgan
M.D.

Anesthesia
Pain Medicine

Ian J. Kucera
M.D.

Anesthesia
Pain Medicine

Florin O. Nicolae
M.D.

Anesthesia
Pain Medicine