IPPMC is the standard of care for pain management in Central Minnesota.
When you think of pain management for your patient I hope you think of IPPMC first. Many physicians think of a pain clinic as the last resort for their patients, many advances have accrued in the last five to ten years in pain management.
We are the only true independent comprehensive pain clinic in our region. Because of IPPMC’s status as an independent pain clinic you may not be aware of our clinic or our mission.
The goal of effective spine care is to provide pain relief and facilitate return to function as soon as possible, ideally in a conservative, cost-effective fashion. If early conservative care fails to treat the problem effectively, an orderly approach to additional workup and treatment is desired to reduce the risk of chronic pain or disability.
A multidisciplinary pain center approach offers a variety of treatment options, including medications, diagnostic workup, physical therapy, non-surgical interventional procedures under fluoroscopy, and/or surgical intervention. By evaluating and coordinating an effective rehabilitation program in a timely manner, we are able to reduce the patient’s anxiety and stress caused by their pain, eliminate excessive interventional therapies, and possibly prevent surgery.
Some of the reasons include:
- Board Certified Pain Physician and staff that are devoted exclusively to advanced pain management.
- The mission, core values, and goals of clinic are to improve quality of life by reducing pain and suffering in order to maximize function.
- Emphasis on diagnosis, with patient-centered, individualized programs – patient is partner in pain management.
- Multi-disciplinary approach to pain medicine.
- Work closely with other health care providers.
- Continuity of care: Each patient is followed by a board certified pain physician for ongoing progress in terms of function and pain-levels.
- Timely appointments with caring staff.
Chronic pain can limit the enjoyment of being an active participant in life. Chronic untreated pain can lead to :
- Sleep disorders
- Physical disability
- Depressed mood
- Damaged relationships
- Hopelessness
Chronic pain may produce feelings of anger, sadness, hopelessness, and even despair. In addition, it can alter one’s personality, disrupt sleep, interfere with work and relationships and even have a profound effect on other family members.It is normal to have psychological problems with pain.
You are the most important ingredient in treating your pain in the long run.
Procedures and medications can provide a degree of relief but these are intended to allow you to begin stretching, exercising, losing excess weight, and improving the strength of your muscles and bones. Reconditioning your body causes normal sensations to arrive at your spinal cord and brain, thereby helping to defeat pain perpetuating neural circuits and reflexes.
Prophylactic and symptomatic medications, interventional procedures, physical therapy, and psychological counseling are effective treatment options.
Yes, but these are infrequent and usually very mild, such as temporary sleeplessness, nausea, increased appetite, or elevation of blood sugar levels.
The goal of the pain clinic is to use safe, effective, and minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to decrease painful sensations, improve function and mobility, and decrease reliance on pain medications.
- IPPMC offers multidisciplinary care, which includes state of the art interventional spinal procedures using fluoroscopic guidance, counseling, physical therapy, and massage.
- Emphasis on diagnosis, with patient-centered, individualized programs – patient is a partner in pain management.
- Timely appointments with caring staff.
Treatment Plans for the Elderly
The elderly are more likely to experience pain than the general population and are often undertreated for pain due to myths about their pain sensitivity, pain tolerance, and ability to benefit from opioid drugs.
If you are an older person experiencing pain, you should take the following factors into account:
- You may experience more than one source of pain;
- You may have several medical problems and be taking a number of medications at once, and this may increase the risk of analgesic drugs;
- You run a higher-than-average risk of side effects from all drugs, including analgesics like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It is important to report the over-the-counter pain medications you take to your health care team;
- Having chronic medical problems and an increased risk of effects does not mean than your pain cannot, or should not, be aggressively treated. You may be a candidate for any of the many pain-relieving therapies that exist.
Treatment Plans for Children
Pain management for children should:
- Be tailored to the child’s level of development, including his/her verbal skills, ability to separate from parents, and understanding of medical procedures;
- Take advantage of the child’s personality and draw on his/her emotional and physical resources wherever possible;
- Respond to issues the child’s pain is causing in the family.
Acute pain is pain of a short, limited duration, usually the result of an injury, surgery or medical illness. Acute pain often goes away with the healing process.
Chronic pain continues for longer periods of time, sometimes even long time after the healing of the original injury is expected to have occurred. Chronic pain is also associated with frustration, depression and anxiety.
Treatments for acute and chronic pain are often quite different.
Sometimes, but it can take time to check with your insurance carrier and secure authorization before scheduling the procedure. The pain clinic staff will work as quickly and efficiently as possible so that you can have your procedures in a timely manner. You can help this process by making sure that your insurance information is updated.
You can either receive a referral from your physician or refer yourself.
Our contact information is:
Interventional Pain and Physical Medicine Clinic (IPPMC)
Office: 320-229-1500
Toll Free: 1-888-414-PAIN
Fax: 320-229-1505
Email: stacy@ippmc.com
- Reduce pain
- Improve quality of life
- Decrease dependence on the health care system
- The care a patient receives at IPPMC depends partially on the patient himself/herself. Therefore, in addition to the Bill of Rights, a patient has certain responsibilities as well. These responsibilities are presented to the patient in the spirit of mutual trust and respect.
- The patient must provide accurate and complete information concerning his/her present complaints, past medical history, and other matters about his/her health.
- The patient is responsible for making it known whether he/she clearly comprehends the course of his/her medical treatment and what is expected of him/her.
- The patient is responsible for following the treatment plan established by his/her physician, including the instructions of nurses and other health professionals as they carry out the physicians orders.
- The patient is responsible for keeping appointments and for notifying the facility or physician when he/she is unable to do so.
- The patient is responsible for his/her actions should he/she refuse treatment or not follow his/her physician’s orders
- The patient is responsible for assuring that the financial obligations of his/her care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.
- The patient is responsible for following facility policies and procedures.
- The patient is responsible for being considerate of the rights of other patients and facility personnel.
- The patient is responsible for being respectful of his/her personal property and that of other persons in the facility.
- The patient is responsible to report complaint(s) or grievance(s).
Some so-called “pain clinics” offer only one type of treatment, such as acupuncture or manipulation, and other treat only a special type of complaint such as headache or back pain.
Comprehensive pain management centers, on the other hand, are usually directed by physicians who specialize in pain treatment with a staff of nurses, therapists and medical professionals who are experts in the management of painful disorders. These centers generally offer a variety of treatments, and they treat all types of pain.
Terms such as “pain clinic”, “pain service”, “pain unit” or “pain center” are similar