St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital Services Pain Management Treatment Information
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Treatment Information

As a patient of St. Anthony’s Center for Interventional Pain our goal is to try to improve your pain and return it to an acceptable level. It may not be possible to completely remove all of your pain, but our staff wants to provide you with the best treatment plan for you and we will work together as a team to explore all options.

Please consider the following:

 

1.  To properly treat your current pain, please provide all previous doctor records, imaging, consultations, physical therapy records, etc.

2.  A single medication or therapy may not completely rid you of your pain. Our team will work with you to explore your options.

3.  Pain represents a complex problem, which may benefit from physical therapy, psychotherapy, behavioral medicine, interventional procedures and various other pain control therapies and strategies. This requires that you cooperate fully and actively participate in all aspects of the pain management program to maximize functioning, pain and improve coping with your condition.

4.  Requests for scheduled refills for non-opioid pain medications will be filled within 3 business days so that your chart may be reviewed. No refills will be given in the evenings or on the weekends, holidays, or through the emergency room. You will need to make an appointment to be evaluated prior to a refill of medication if: you were recently started on a medication, the physician asks that you be seen prior to the refill and if you have not been seen with 6 months in the clinic or there are changes in your condition or health.

5.  Opioid/narcotic medications are generally not prescribed. We believe that chronic non-cancer pain is better treated with other treatment options.

6.  Our center needs to be notified when there are significant changes in your health.

7.  For Female Patients: Many of the medications used, and x-rays may increase risks to your fetus/baby. It is very important that you notify the clinic immediately if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

8.  All medications have the possibility of risks. Most medications we prescribe have little or few side effects, but everyone may react differently to each medication.  Following are possible side effects encountered with common pain medications:

  • Drowsiness, fatigue, trouble concentrating, addiction, withdrawal, financial stress, mood changes, depression

  • Interaction with other medications, itching, rash, hives, allergic reactions

  • Swelling, peripheral edema, blood clots, weight gain, increases in blood sugar or blood pressure

  • Harm to kidney or liver, bone marrow, or immune system function

  • Blurred vision, dizziness, loss of balance, falling, difficulty driving, nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, constipation, bowel obstruction, dry mouth, stomach ulcers, etc.

9.  Injections and blocks. Most of our injections have similar risks, which include but are not limited to:
 

  • Paresthesia, abscess, dural puncture, bleeding, infection, headache, nerve injury, spine injury, muscle injury, muscle spasm, pneumothorax, worsening of original pain, reaction to medication injected

  • Bleeding and infection deserve special attention, although very rare, if they occur near the spinal cord or nerves they can lead to nerve damage, or paralysis. Infections can rapidly spread to the blood, spinal fluid, and body organs resulting in death even if treated aggressively with antibiotics. This is a concern with all surgeries and injections, but especially with our injections due to how close we have to get to the nerves and spine. If you develop any of the above complications, you should contact the clinic immediately.