If you suffer from chronic pain, you have likely heard about various pain management techniques. Pain management is a branch of medical studies that focuses on decreasing the sensation of pain. Since there are many types and degrees of pain, pain management covers a wide variety of medical conditions. This includes neuropathic pain, post surgery pain and numerous other diseases and conditions.

There is no set of established standards regarding the techniques used in pain management. This is largely due to the fact that pain is very subjective in nature. What constitutes extreme pain in one individual may prove to be mild or moderate pain in another. This subjective nature of pain requires that physicians be flexible in meeting the needs of each patient by following a multidisciplinary approach to pain management techniques.

A pain management program is generally operated by a team of at least three doctors. A coordinating doctor will meet with other specialists to discuss the patient's medical history and any existing conditions. A physical rehabilitation specialist will focus on putting into practice any plans as set forth by the patient's medical doctors. Finally, a psychiatrist will ensure the psychological well-being of the patient and treat any anxiety and depression brought on by chronic pain.

There are three general types of pain management programs that patients can benefit from. These include non-drug pain management, drug therapy and invasive pain management. Choosing the correct pain management technique will usually involve careful consideration of the patient's needs and preferences as well as the recommendations of the medical team involved in his care. In any case, patients always have choices when it comes to their treatment options for chronic pain.

A non-drug pain management program includes various options of relieving and controlling pain that do not involve the use of pain relieving medications. This method would include alternative approaches to pain management such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, yoga and other similar treatment modules. This naturalistic approach to healing may also put more focus on the psychological aspects of pain management. This may involve helping the patient understand and learn to better control the sensations of pain rather than attempting to eradicate the pain completely.

Drug therapy consists of using a number of different pain relieving medications to help lessen the sensation of pain. There are four types of medications that doctors may recommend for this purpose. Cox-2 inhibitors are medications that provide a pain relieving effect for muscular and skeletal pain. Opioids are medications used to control the receptors that signal the body to create painful sensations. Anti-depressants are used to prevent and treat depression and anxiety that so often accompanies chronic pain. Finally, medical marijuana helps to dull the senses and induce better sleep.

Invasive pain management focuses on injections and surgeries as a method of controlling chronic pain. Injections generally include soft tissue, steroid and nerve blocking injections. Surgeries may include spinal operations, percutaneous vertebroplasty and total disk replacement.