Upper Allegheny Health

10 RIGHT NOW » NEWS BRIEF ADVANCES IN CARE Send Pain Packing Don't let aching and soreness from a chronic condition or injury control your life. The new Pain Medicine Centers at Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center offer comprehensive pain management tailored to individual needs. The American Chronic Pain Association defines chronic pain as physical suffering that continues three to six months beyond the usual recovery period for an injury or condition. While chronic pain may not be constant, it often interferes with daily life. "Not all nagging pain is harmless, and one should never assume it will disappear on its own," said Phillip J. Cusano, M.D., Chair of Anesthesia at Bradford Regional Medical Center's Pain Medicine Center. "Pain can be a sign of serious illness or disease, such as arthritis, cancer or fibromyalgia, or can result from an injury." Regardless of the source, chronic pain can affect the entire body. "The persistence of pain without appropriate treatment will affect the heart, stomach, nervous system and psychological well-being," said Gabriel Yacob, M.D., Pain Management Specialist with Olean General Hospital's Pain Medicine Center. "This can impact the individual's health and also his or her finances if job loss and disability factor in. This in turn affects the whole family." MEDICINE FOR THE WHOLE INDIVIDUAL The Pain Medicine Centers at Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center apply a holistic approach to pain management. "Our purpose is not only to alleviate pain, but to provide patients with tools to manage pain should it return," said Robert Yu-Fan Zhang, M.D., Director of Pain Management at Bradford Regional Medical Center's Pain Medicine Center. Whether through simple stretches, physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture or interventional pain management procedures such as a nerve block, the Pain Medicine Centers offer a variety of customized treatments. Most important, however, are the staffs' interactions with those in need of relief. "Our physician-directed approach adds to the compassion that our nurses provide to our diverse patient population," Dr. Zhang said. "We treat all patients as if they were our only patient." TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH OLEAN GENERAL HOSPITAL'S PAIN MEDICINE CENTER, CALL 716.701.1530. FOR BRADFORD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER'S PAIN MEDICINE CENTER, CALL 814.362.8674. Opioids Defined Opioids are pain-relief medications that can provide an effective means of coping with chronic pain. However, prescribed use of opioids, or opioid therapy (OT), is not without risks, including: • Physical dependence, or the need to take the medication daily to avoid withdrawal symptoms • Tolerance, or the need for increased doses of medication to control pain over time • Abuse of prescription opioids, either by the patient or someone who steals the medication Speak with a pain management specialist at one of Upper Allegheny Health System's Pain Medicine Centers about the benefits and risks of OT in managing chronic pain.

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