Pain Management in Seniors: What You Should Know

From chronic conditions that cause ongoing pain, such as arthritis, to post-surgical rehabilitation, pain management is key to a senior’s health regimen. While there are a variety of approaches to pain management in seniors, here are a few avenues to keep in mind.

See for yourself what our team here at Orthopedic Institute (OI) suggests.

Acupuncture and alternatives

Acpuncture—which OI’s own Dr. Chang happens to specialize in—can go a long way toward treating chronic pain and ongoing headaches. Through stimulating your neurological “energy pathways,” acupuncture has been shown to reduce instances of migraines and tension headaches in patients. It can also have positive effects for arthritis-related knee, back and other joint pain. Check out what other alternative treatments OI is on board with.

Physical therapy

In order to manage your pain without the need for invasive surgery, the physical therapy team at OI has been stacked with quality professionals who can provide optimum care for whatever chronic pain conditions you’re experiencing. The range of options for physical therapy for common conditions affecting seniors may include post-surgery rehabilitation, therapeutic exercise, bracing and other non-traditional options like aquatic therapy and golf medicine. Check out what makes golf medicine such an effective physical therapy tool.

Radiofrequency ablation

One option that orthopedic physicians will often suggest when it comes to pain resulting from neck and back arthritis is radiofrequency ablation. In a nutshell, it entails utilizing heat on predetermined nerve tissue in order to keep your brain from receiving pain indicators. It’s an effective way to reduce the symptoms of arthritis—namely the general pain that results from it—with long-term effects. While it doesn’t outright cure arthritic joints, it has been shown to provide pain relief for as long as a full year. Check out what else makes radiofrequency ablation a great pain management option.

Spinal cord stimulation

Pain management can also become surgical in some severe cases. OI’s Dr. Brunz specializes in a procedure called neuromodulation, which entails implantation of spinal cord stimulators that assist in keeping pain signals from reaching your brain. It’s particularly effective in cases of severe pain, and these impulses are often replaced by a gentler “flutter” sensation. Check out more details on how this process works.