Pain Management

Pain medication can be included in a course of treatment, but it is not our primary approach to treating pain. Pain medication can be effective in the short term, but it is less effective in the long term, both for ongoing pain management and because of the increased health risks of long-term use, especially the risk of addiction. At Valleywise Health Community Health Center – Peoria, we take a holistic approach to pain management and prioritize interventions like injections, pain-blockers and minimally invasive procedures.

The answer depends on many factors. Your activity level, the cause of your pain, and even your emotional state can all contribute to why your pain might feel more intense one day and less the next. One thing that can be helpful is to keep a pain journal where you keep track of how intense your pain is on a daily basis as well as what you did that day and how you felt emotionally. This can be helpful to bring to your pain management appointment so that your care team can better understand how your experience varies and identify contributing factors. 

The answer to this is tricky because all pain is always in our heads even when there is a clear physical cause, like cutting your finger, because pain is something our brains produce. The more important answer is that we treat all experiences of pain as valid and real, regardless of where or how they originate. Physicians can’t always determine the cause of pain, but that doesn’t mean it’s imaginary. It just means we are limited by the available tools to diagnose the cause. The good news is, pain is often treatable even without knowing its cause.

Most likely. We accept most major commercial insurances, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. You can find out if your insurance qualifies here.

Yes, we do! To receive quality pain management services from the comfort and convenience of home, book a telehealth appointment here.