Pain medicine
Rely on the compassionate specialists of Montage Medical Group and Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula for expert help to manage pain and improve your quality of life.
Conditions we treat
Work with healthcare professionals who have experience treating chronic (long-term) pain, including:
- Back, neck, and shoulder pain
- Cancer-related pain
- Fibromyalgia (widespread muscle pain)
- Joint pain, including arthritis and sacroiliac (SI) joint pain
- Migraines and headaches
- Neuropathy (nerve pain)
- Pelvic pain
- Postsurgical pain
- Sports or work injuries
Conservative (nonsurgical) options
Your treatment will likely start with conservative approaches that fit into your everyday life. Your doctor might recommend one or more of these services.
Complementary and alternative medicine
Explore complementary treatments [PDF] that aren’t part of traditional medical care, such as:
- Acupuncture – Places thin needles at strategic points in the body for a short period of time
- Chiropractic care – Adjusts your spine and joints
- Classes and support groups – Teach you ways to relax and reduce daily stress and pain
- Cryotherapy – Uses cold temperatures to reduce inflammation
- Massage therapy – Uses hands-on pressure to ease muscle tension
- Neurofeedback (biofeedback) – Shows your brain activity in real time to help you learn to control your pain response
Electrical stimulation
Ask your doctor about handheld devices that use transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). The devices connect to sticky patches on your skin that send gentle impulses that block pain signals. You control the level of pain relief.
If you come to the Emergency department with pain, your care team may use TENS to reduce your symptoms safely.
Medication
A doctor may prescribe medication to treat pain after you have surgery or an injury. If this drug contains opioids, you’ll receive a limited supply meant for short-term use. Learn other steps Montage Health takes to promote prescription medication safety and limit the use of opioids, which can be addictive and cause side effects.
For long-term pain, your doctor may prescribe medications that carry a lower risk of dependency than opioids.
Mental and behavioral healthcare
Mental healthcare can help you cope with chronic pain and even reduce your symptoms. With guidance from a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist, you’ll learn strategies to manage discomfort better and improve your resiliency and outlook.
Rehabilitation
Learn how to move with less pain when you work with professionals specializing in:
- Occupational therapy – Helps you regain abilities or learn new ways to do daily tasks
- Physical therapy – Includes aquatic (pool) therapy, pelvic floor therapy, lymphedema therapy, and more
You may also see a physiatrist, a rehabilitation doctor who treats pain and injuries using a wide variety of non-surgical methods.
Minimally invasive procedures
Interventional pain physicians (pain specialists) can treat the part of your body that hurts through minimally invasive procedures such as:
- Hyaluronic acid injections – Lubricate arthritic joints so they can move with less pain
- Joint injections – Deliver steroids and anesthetic to the sacroiliac (SI) joint, facet joints, knees, hips, or other areas
- Nerve blocks, including epidurals – Numb specific nerves to stop you from feeling pain
- Radiofrequency neurotomy or ablation – Heats nerves to stop them from sending pain signals
- Spinal cord or peripheral nerve stimulator implantation – Places a small device under the skin to send out mild electrical impulses that block pain
These procedures require only small incisions or no incisions, so you recover as quickly as possible.
Surgery
In some cases, surgery is the best option for long-term pain relief. Through Montage Health, you have access to:
