Chronic pain takes a major toll on daily life. It makes your general well-being and daily life difficult and causes distress. Fortunately, pain specialists in Singapore provide various non-invasive pain treatments that can help to relieve pain without surgery or strong medication.
This article explores five effective treatments worth considering if you’re seeking to manage pain and regain a better quality of life.
1. Trigger Point Injections
Trigger point therapy involves the use of injection into affected sites (or trigger points). The arms, legs, neck and lower back can develop muscle knots known as ‘trigger points’ that result from recent or reoccurring stress. They contract the muscle fibres, causing these knots to cause pain and prevent movement. Used to lessen discomfort and increase range of motion, trigger point injections loosen stiff muscles and allow for improved function and mobility.
This treatment involves inserting a fine needle into the trigger point and delivering a mixture containing a local anaesthetic and corticosteroid. The anaesthetic numbs the area, while the corticosteroid reduces inflammation.
2. Epidural Steroid Injections
Epidural steroid injections (ESI) is another non-invasive procedure for pain relief. This approach helps to relieve the pressure on or around the nerve, targeting pain originating from the spinal nerve roots. ESIs are very effective methods for treating pain in case of herniated disks or sciatica when pain irradiates into arms, legs or back.
ESIs work by distributing corticosteroid medicine and anaesthesia into the epidural cavity. The corticosteroids will target the cause of nerve root compression by relieving the swelling, whereas injectable anaesthesia instantly relieves the pain before the corticosteroid takes effect.
3. Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) is a suitable treatment for patients with chronic pain conditions who haven’t responded to other approaches. It is a medical procedure that stops pain signals in the body’s nerves before they can reach the brain.
RFA uses electromagnetic pulses to disrupt problematic nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. RFA is performed under imaging guidance to ensure precision. The heat creates a small lesion on the nerve, blocking pain signals from reaching the brain. This technique offers a long-term singapore pain solutions for managing chronic pain.
4. Neuromodulation
Neuromodulation is a method or technique of injecting electrical pulses to modify how the nervous system perceives pain. It is perfect for those who have undergone back surgery but continue to experience pain.
With neuromodulation, heavy medications are not needed. Instead, a device is implanted under the skin which sends out electrical impulses to disrupt pain signals so they do not reach the brain. It is a reversible, minimally invasive solution alternative to long-term drug use and, to some degree, quality of life for many patients.
5. Intrathecal Drug Therapy
Intrathecal drug delivery systems administer pain medication into the intrathecal space around the spinal cord using a programmable infusion pump with a catheter. This treatment helps treat chronic back, abdominal and neck pain as well as cancer pain among others.
The implantable pumps deliver drugs at preset or programmable rates, thus enabling constant pain relief. This is particularly beneficial in patients suffering from extreme chronic pain who are unresponsive to conventional treatment strategies. Intrathecal drug therapy is a good alternative to traditional methods as it decreases reliance on oral pain medications and manages long-term pain.
Final Thoughts
Chronic pain management solutions such as the ones listed above are non-invasive therapeutic approaches that appeal to individuals who do not wish to undergo surgery or take long-term pharmaceutical medication. From everyday targeted injections and regenerative therapies to more advanced neuromodulatory devices, each pain management option has its distinct advantages.
If you have been living with chronic pain, a consultation with a physician skilled in pain management can be the starting point towards a better standard of life. At Total Pain Specialist Clinic, we have a patient-centric approach to chronic pain relief and offer a broad spectrum of pain management options. Contact us today for an appointment, and let us help you live a pain-free life.
Total Pain Specialist