Clinics Pain Unit

History :

• Since about twenty years, doctors face many problems caused by chronic pain whatever from chronic cancer pain or chronic back pain or that come after surgeries .
• So, this was the beginning of new specialty " pain management", this specialty was found because of response of many types of pain not respond to drug therapy or surgery .
• So specialties started to study pain pathway and response of chronic pain to drug therapy and pain affection on all body organs as brain ,central nervous system and the effect of pain on the patients ability to work and live normal pattern of life.
• Specialist found that acute pain is a symptom but chronic pain is a disease because of its affection on all body systems and this was the beginning of the specialty of pain management. This specialty was known at first time in Egypt through National Cancer Institute .
• "In which master degree and Ph.D. degree in pain management is given " because there were a lot of patients who suffering from cancer pain which does not respond to medial treatment .This specialty started to expand and to involve all other types of chronic pain.
• Pain management includes either medical treatment or interventional pain therapy " which differs according the type and the nature of pain ".

This is a Group of examples Can be Managed in Pain Clinic :

• Cancer Pain :
  In cases of chronic cancer pain cannot be operated surgically " in terminal degree ",so there is a solution for those patients in pain clinic.
• Chronic Back Pain :
  Surgical interference is very helpful in back pain but not in all cases ,some cases could be managed in pain clinics before surgical interference as early cases of disc prolapses "in pain stage", joint pain and back muscles pain .
• Failed Back Surgeries :
  These patients are suffering from chronic back pain due to presence of adhesions in the spinal canal which cause pressure on spinal nerve roots which causes chronic pain.These adhesions can not be removed surgically, so these patients could get benefit from pain management by lysis of these adhesions " prcutaneous intervention"
• Sympathetic Pain :
  This is a type of pain caused by stimulation of sympathetic nerve fibers all over the body which can be managed by medical treatment or sympayhectomies.
• Past herpetic Neuralgia :
  This type of pain occurs in about 25% of cases suffering from acute Herpis Zoster Infection and this problem will be chronic and easily managed in pain clinics.
• Neuropathic Pain :
  Which occurs due to direct affection on the nerve fibers either mechanically and chemically which can be manages in pain clinics.