By the Office of Dr. Mogin Antoine
With chronic intractable pain (CIP) the patient has failed conservative treatments such as physical therapy, surgery, or opioid therapy (strong pain medications); the cause of the pain cannot be removed or otherwise treated. There are numerous conditions which commonly cause CIP: degenerative disc disease, failed back surgery, cancer pain, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), multiple sclerosis, postherpetic neuralgia (nerve pain after shingles), rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, etc. For those patients the side-effects of opioids become just as challenging as the pain itself. A patient’s life can dramatically improve with a pain pump. Unlike oral medications which goes into the bloodstream, medication is delivered directly into the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord and leads to fewer side-effects, at a much lower dosage. For example: 1mg intrathecal Morphine = 300mg of Morphine by mouth. The pump is connected to a thin, flexible tube called a catheter. Both are surgically implanted under the skin.
A patient’s life can dramatically improve with a pain pump.
Your doctor will ensure that it is comfortable and does not interfere with your movements. During surgery, the pump is filled with pain medication; it sends medication through the catheter to the spinal area where pain receptors are located. You return to your doctor’s office for more medicine when the pump needs to be refilled. It is programmable, allowing doses to be scheduled and adjusted to ensure that you receive the best pain relief possible. Every patient goes through a screening test to assess how well the therapy relieves the pain before having the pump implanted. It is a proven safe and effective therapy, approved by the FDA.
To understand the benefits and risks, please contact Dr. Antoine who is a board certified Pain Medicine Specialist and board certified Anesthesiologist.
Dr. Mogin Antoine also treats conditions such as chronic low back pain, knee and shoulder pain, chronic migraines, severe spasticity due to stroke or multiple sclerosis. Other Interventional Therapies offered are: epidural injections, joint injections, spinal cord stimulator implants, facet blocks, radiofrequency nerve lesioning, and sympathetic nerve blocks.
Sunshine Pain Mgmt Medical Center: 900 NE 125th Street, Suite 110, North Miami FL 33161,
Phone: (305) 836-1421
