Pain Management
Outpatient Pain Management Clinic at RCH
- When: available as needed, Monday – Friday
- Providers: Nurse anesthetist Melissa Friedrich (RCH)
- To schedule an appointment: call (641) 464-4452 or use the online RCH request an appointment form. Referrals can be faxed to (641) 464-4447.
Melissa Friedrich, CRNA. Our Pain Management Clinic is designed to help patients manage chronic pain. The clinic will provide services to assist those with low back pain, chronic neck pain, SI joint pain, fibromyalgia, shingles, and headaches, among other issues. Melissa Friedrich, current anesthesia provider at Ringgold County Hospital, to provide services such as: epidural therapeutic injections, sacroiliac injections and radiofrequency ablation, sympathetic blockade, image-guided joint injections, botox, trigger point injections, and other therapy options. Patients can visit with their primary care provider or call the clinic directly to make an appointment (641) 464-4452.
What Is Pain Management?
The purpose of pain management is to provide effective short- and long-term relief to patients. Sometimes, a single corticosteroid shot is enough to alleviate a patient’s symptoms and stop the cycle of pain. The outpatient pain management clinic at Ringgold County Hospital can help patients suffering from acute and chronic pain due a wide variety of causes.
Pain Management Treatments
There are numerous methods to address acute and chronic pain, depending on its cause, location, and severity of a patient’s symptoms. At Ringgold County Hospital, we go beyond prescribing pain medication.
Our pain management team typically begins with an assessment before creating a treatment plan based on your treatment goals. Possible pain management treatments may include:
Botox is more than just a cosmetic treatment! It’s also FDA approved to treat patients suffering from chronic migraines. Botox is delivered as an injection that targets muscles of the head and neck. It works by temporarily paralyzing those muscle groups – to help prevent a migraine before it begins.
Commonly referred to as simply an “epidural,” these injections deliver anti-inflammatory medication into the epidural space surrounding the spinal cord. It is especially beneficial for patients suffering from back or neck pain – or even spinal cord pain that radiates into the arms or legs. Epidural injections can be made in the lumbar region (low back), thoracic region (upper back), or cervical region (neck).
A popular choice when it comes to relieving joint pain, image-guided joint injections deliver anti-inflammatories (e.g., corticosteroids), analgesics, or other medications in or near the target joint. Real-time video imaging is used to precisely administer the injection, for the most effective placement possible.
The type of injection you get will depend on the cause and location of your pain. For example, for patients with knee pain caused by osteoarthritis, an injection of a gel-like substance (hyaluronic acid) can often allow pain-free movement and could help delay the need for joint replacement surgery.
Sympathetic blockades, nerve blocks, or block injections all refer to the use of medication delivered to a target group of nerves. This effectively turns off pain signaling by the targeted nerves for a short period of time. In some cases, repeat treatments may be needed for long-term pain relief.
Radiofrequency ablation uses electromagnetic energy to heat and destroy target nerves – preventing the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. RFA is a safe and effective pain management approach that can offer patients long-lasting pain relief.
The sacroiliac (SI) joint connects the base of your spine to either side of your pelvis. Injections at this joint can be used to diagnose, rule out, and treat pain associated with dysfunction of the SI joint. The pain-relieving effect is immediate.
Areas of knotted muscles that are stiff, tight, and tender to the touch are known as trigger points. Trigger point injections involve administering medication at the trigger point to allow the muscles to relax to help relieve pain. The medication used may include analgesics and/or anti-inflammatories, depending on your needs.
When you visit our care providers at RCH’s pain management clinic, you can count on us to utilize many different pain-relieving options instead of relying on medications alone. We will likely suggest specific lifestyle changes to encourage proper healing and recovery, in addition to our pain management therapies. This may include a change in eating habits, exercise, nicotine use, weight management, or undergoing physical therapy to strengthen muscles and increase flexibility.
Pain Relief in Mount Ayr, IA
There is no need to suffer through chronic or severe pain. You may have treatment options you hadn’t considered. If you are experiencing pain that is disrupting your daily activities, make an appointment for a consult at RCH’s next outpatient pain management clinic. Pain relief is closer than you think!
