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Why is it so hard to treat chronic pain?

Medication can ease temporary, acute pain after surgery or an injury. But once pain becomes chronic, medicine seldom provides enough pain relief.

Why doesn’t medication work well? Because chronic pain (pain lasting at least three months and often for years) is a complex condition involving nerve sensitization, brain processes, and changes in the way you perceive pain.

Chronic pain leads to a progressive pain cycle. Pain limits your mobility, lack of exercise weakens muscles, and these changes increase your chronic pain.

Despite the challenges of chronic pain, Dr. Reinhart’s practice can help you finally find some relief with many effective solutions.

What conditions cause chronic pain?

Chronic pain often begins following a traumatic accident, sports injury, or surgery if the pain persists after your wounds heal. Sometimes, chronic pain develops without an identifiable injury or cause (called idiopathic pain).

Many people struggle with chronic pain because of underlying health conditions, including:

  • Arthritis
  • Migraines
  • Lyme disease
  • Hip pain (due to arthritis, cartilage tears, and bursitis)
  • Fibromyalgia (widespread muscle aches and tenderness)
  • Peripheral neuropathy (pain caused by nerve damage)
  • Post-herpetic neuralgia (a complication of shingles)
  • Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS, severe pain in your arms and legs)
  • Neck and back pain (caused by age-related degenerative conditions)
  • Joint pain (due to conditions other than arthritis, like tendinitis, ligament injuries, and lupus)

Neuromuscular disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS) can also cause chronic pain.

What treatments relieve chronic pain?

The pain management specialists at The Office of Roland Reinhart, MD, offer many treatments to relieve chronic pain, including:

Interventional treatments

Interventional treatments like epidural steroid injections, radiofrequency ablation, nerve blocks, and spinal cord stimulation, to name a few, use different techniques to stop pain signals from reaching your brain.

Regenerative medicine

Your provider injects specialized substances like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cells that activate healing in the damaged tissues.

Cold laser therapy

Cold laser therapy is a noninvasive light treatment that reduces inflammation, eases pain, and promotes healing.

Joint injections

Steroids and other medications reduce inflammation and pain inside a joint.

Spinal decompression

Your provider does a minimally invasive procedure to take pressure off pinched spinal nerves.

Call the office of Roland Reinhart, MD, today or schedule an appointment through online booking and begin your journey toward pain relief.