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UPMC Pain Medicine Program
UPMC Pain Medicine Program is a multidisciplinary clinical, teaching, and research endeavor with offices at UPMC St. Margaret, Centre Commons, Oakland campus, Monroeville, UPMC Mercy and UPMC Passavant. The Program is committed to the evaluation and treatment of the entire range of pain, disability, and rehabilitation problems. It offers an interdisciplinary team approach that includes dedicated professionals from various specialties including medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and psychology.
The treatment team develops and coordinates programs designed to: reduce pain and suffering whenever possible and assist patients in coping with any remaining discomfort; reduce disability to restore a more normal, meaningful, and satisfying life; reduce emotional distress caused by chronic pain; reduce dependency on drugs and on the health care system; and facilitate, as appropriate, the patient's return to gainful employment and usual household and leisure activities.
During Academic Year 2006-2007, the Pain Medicine Program physicians from the Department of Anesthesiology logged 30,806 visits: 4,804 patient visits at UPMC St. Margaret, 17,887 patient visits at Centre Commons, 2,723 patient visitis at Oakland campus, 2,085 at Monroeville, 1,072 at St. Clair (closed 11/08) and 1,985 at Cranberry (moved to UPMC Passavant (02/09). Interventional modalities are carried out at UPMC St. Margaret, Centre Commons, Oakland campus, Monroeville and UPMC Passavant, including somatic and sympathetic nerve blockade, neurolytic blocks, placement of intrathecal pumps and neurostimulators, joint injections, and pharmacotherapy.
The UPMC Pain Medicine Program provides the most effective therapy for conditions not requiring invasive procedures. Programs and services are offered at our Centre Commons clinic and include: physical conditioning exercises; cardiovascular conditioning; coping skills training; work hardening; job-site evaluation; family counseling; relaxation therapy; stress management; biofeedback; self-hypnosis; gait and postural training; physical-capacity evaluation; work simulation; aquatic therapy; psychological counseling; and nutritional and sleep counseling.
In keeping with its mission, the UPMC Pain Medicine Program treats the entire spectrum of pain conditions, including: persistent post-surgical pain; chronic back pain; complex regional pain syndrome (reflex sympathetic dystrophy); fibromyalgia; cancer pain; musculoskeletal injuries; headaches; postherpetic neuralgia (shingles); and cumulative trauma syndromes.
The Division of Pain Medicine offers a one-year Pain Medicine Fellowship program that is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education. Fellows rotate through the outpatient services and provided inpatient consultation at UPMC St. Margaret and UPMC Shadyside. More information on the fellowship program an be found in the Fellowship Program section of this website.
The Division of Pain Medicine has an active and well-funded research arm. Information on specific investigations can be found in the Research section of this website.
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