Cancer Pain

What is cancer pain?

Not everyone who has cancer experiences pain. But if you do, that doesn’t mean you have to live with it. The compassionate physicians at Centers of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine are dedicated to helping adults improve their quality of life by managing cancer pain. 

What causes cancer pain?

Cancer can cause pain in a variety of ways. You may experience pain from the cancer itself if it spreads to your bones or if a tumor presses on a spinal nerve. 

At other times, cancer pain results from a medical procedure, such as surgery, treatment, or tests. Chemotherapy can cause peripheral neuropathy, which is pain, burning, tingling, and numbness in your hands, arms, legs, and/or feet. 

How is cancer pain treated?

First, your pain management specialist at Centers of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine thoroughly evaluates your condition to determine the specific cause of your cancer pain. Then, they create a personalized pain management plan that may include:

Intrathecal pain pump

An intrathecal pain pump delivers pain-relieving medication, such as morphine, directly into your spinal fluid. This provides fast and effective pain relief without the side effects of taking oral opioid pain relievers. 

Spinal cord stimulator

A spinal cord stimulator can control pain that doesn’t respond to any type of medication, including opioids. This implanted device uses an electrical current to interrupt pain signals before they reach your brain. 

Radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation blocks pain signals by heating and destroying specific areas of nerve tissue. Your specialist uses an imaging technique, such as fluoroscopy, to guide an insulated needle to the precise location. Then, radiofrequency energy is sent to the targeted nerve. 

Epidurals and nerve blocks

These treatments involve injecting an anesthetic medication into the epidural space around your spinal cord, or into a specific nerve. Your pain management specialist may combine the anesthetic with a corticosteroid or other type of pain-relieving medication. 

Depending on your needs, they may combine one or more of these treatments with medication management for complete pain relief. 

If you experience any type of cancer pain, call Centers of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine, or request an appointment online today.