Pain management doctors in southwest Virginia

For many people, living with chronic pain has become their new normal. Pain is so prevalent, in fact, it is the most common symptom patients talk about with their doctors. At LewisGale Regional Health System, we believe that living a full and active lifestyle should be an attainable goal for people with chronic pain.

To learn more about pain management options offered at LewisGale Regional Health System, call our Consult-A-Nurse® team at (877) 242-2362.

Our caring and experienced pain management specialists are committed to helping you manage pain and improve your quality of life.

Pain-related conditions we treat

We treat a range of conditions that cause chronic pain, including:

  • Spinal pain (neck and back pain)
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Disc herniation
  • Sciatica
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
  • Spinal compression fracture
  • Post-herpetic neuralgia, a common complication of shingles
  • Occipital neuralgia
  • Trigeminal neuralgia
  • Bursitis
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Phantom limb syndrome
  • Spondylosis

Personalized chronic pain management plans

Along with your primary care provider, our pain management experts create a custom plan to treat your pain. We factor in your medical history, work to identify the exact sources of your pain, then build your personal treatment plan. Our focus goes beyond simply easing your pain. We want to improve your overall health.

If you have spine pain, we may recommend discography as part of your spine care treatment plan. Discography is a diagnostic procedure, not a treatment, in which X-ray dye is injected into the spinal disc(s) and an X-ray, called a discogram, is taken. The discogram can determine if tears occur.

To address and prevent your pain, we incorporate a variety of other options in pain management plans, including physical therapy, preventive education and appropriate referrals to specialists.

Advanced pain management treatment options

At LewisGale Regional Health System, we are committed to using the latest and most effective pain management techniques. We use minimally invasive techniques, where appropriate, to help eliminate or reduce dependence on oral medications. Each of our treatments are designed to provide much-needed pain relief and improve your quality of life.

Cryoanalgesia

Physicians use the cryoanalgesia system to relieve pain by freezing it away. Precision probes are used to isolate a nerve and extreme cold is applied intermittently over several minutes. The nerve temporarily "dies" and ceases to transmit pain impulses.

Pain relief lasts from three months to one year. Chance of nerve damage is low with this method. Individuals with highly localized pain due to nerve injury are good candidates for cryoanalgesia.

Epidural steroid injection

An epidural steroid injection involves the injection of steroids into the neck or low back. Sometimes, a local anesthetic may be injected with the steroid. These injections are often provided to individuals with herniated discs, degenerative disc disease or spinal stenosis who have nerve pain in their arms or legs. This procedure is performed by interventional radiologists at LewisGale Regional Health System.

Intrathecal pain therapy

Intrathecal pain therapy (ITC) is a surgically implanted pump that works by delivering small, regular doses of analgesic drugs, or pain killers, directly to the pain receptors in the spinal cord, blocking the pain messages to the brain. The medication goes through a catheter to the intrathecal space around the spinal cord where it’s most effective. This treatment requires test dosing or placement of a temporary catheter for trial screening.

Nerve blocks

A local anesthetic is used for injecting a nerve block for specific areas of the body. The nerve block also can be used to diagnose which neural pathway is causing chronic pain. A sciatic nerve block is one example of treatment for pain in the lower extremities.

Radiofrequency

Radiofrequency lesioning uses radiofrequency electricity to produce heat that melts away nerves, nerve endings or other tissues and blocks pain messages to the brain. This technique is used to treat several areas of the spine causing back pain, such as diseased or injured facet joints (small joints between vertebrae) or spinal discs.

Spinal cord stimulators (SCS)

This surgically implanted pain pump therapy uses electrical impulses to block pain from being perceived in the brain. Instead of pain, the patient feels a pleasant tingling sensation.

Implanting the device requires local anesthesia so the patient can provide feedback to the doctor for the most effective lead placement. Once the lead is in place, the system is activated and the patient helps determine how well it’s working.

Treatment is most effective when pain is in one or both arms or legs or for low back pain that persists after surgery and requires a trial of 24 hours to two weeks.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

Electrode patches are applied to the skin in the area to be treated. A mild current runs from the stationary stimulator through these patches, sending a painless electrical current through the skin to specific nerves. The current may be delivered intermittently and generates heat that serves to relieve stiffness, improve mobility and relieve pain. The treatment is believed to stimulate the body’s production of endorphins or natural pain killers.

This treatment relieves:

  • Back, knee, shoulder, neck and muscle-associated pain
  • Myofascial and arthritic pain
  • Bladder incontinence
  • Neurogenic and visceral pain
  • Postoperative pain
  • Work and sports-related injuries
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Repetitive strain injuries