Overview

Atrius Health has brought together an expert team of specialists to help patients manage a variety of chronic pain issues. Chronic pain is defined as any pain problem that lasts longer than three months that impairs function and prevents you from working, sleeping, socializing, or enjoying leisure activities. Often patients with chronic pain will have seen many physicians without success and as a result become increasingly frustrated, angry or even depressed because of the lack of helpful treatments. In addition, because of the debilitating pain, patients may become increasingly dependent on the use of strong pain medication, which can cause unwanted side effects and in some cases impair function.

Our treatment approach recognizes the complexity of pain and adheres to a bio-psychosocial model of chronic pain. We integrate aggressive physical therapy with a mind-body approach to pain management.

The scope of pain management treatment generally includes:

• Physical therapy - to help patients regain strength, flexibility and endurance through an individually designed program
• Physiatry services - a medical specialty that has an expertise in the management of pain and musculoskeletal disorders with a focus on restoring function, including medical acupuncture, medication management, pain interventional procedures, and trigger point and joint injections
• Behavioral Health services - to help patients improve coping skills, sleep hygiene, reduce stress reactivity and manage pain related mood disorders
• Interventional Spine services - for patients with spine-related pain, who may benefit from interventional procedures

A referral from your primary care physician is typically required to make an appointment with the Physiatry, Spine & Pain Management department, and patients should check with their health insurance plan regarding their benefits for these services.