title: Management of chronic pain. Part I.
abstract: Chronic pain is associated with substantial psychosocial and economic stress, coupled with functional loss and various levels of vocational dysfunction. The role of a pain center is to focus on chronic pain in a multidisciplinary, comprehensive manner, providing the patient with the most effective opportunity to manage his or her chronic disease syndrome. This article focuses on methods to manage many types of chronic pain and describes a broad range of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions and options available to the patient. Part I of this two-part monograph describes pharmacotherapeutic interventions and regional nerve blocks. Part II focuses on psychologic assessment and treatment and physical therapy. A multimodal management strategy offers patients the greatest improvement potential for specific chronic pain syndromes. Cognitive and behavioral therapies and physical therapies are described. This combination of therapies may provide patients with the skills and knowledge needed to increase their sense of control over pain. The integration of appropriate pharmacotherapeutic regimens, neural blockades, physical therapy, and psychologic techniques maximizes a patient's effectiveness in dealing with chronic pain. Three case studies are presented in Part II.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Family Medicine, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Barkin
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Lubenow
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bruehl
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Husfeldt
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ivankovich
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Barkin
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009407:Nerve Block; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D018710:Pain Clinics; D059408:Pain Management; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors