The Chronic Pain Management Clinic was established in 1995 and serves as an outpatient clinic for patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Clinic staff work with a wide range of specialties:

• gynecology
• plastic surgery
• gastroenterology
• sports medicine
• orthopedics
• rheumatology
• physiatry
• general surgery
• neurology
• psychology

The clinic is a part of the hospital’s outpatient surgical clinics and is managed by an anesthesiologist with expertise in chronic pain. Both diagnostic and therapeutic services are offered to qualifying patients. The clinic also provides an educational experience to medical residents as part of their training, as well as collaborative experiences with other pain clinics in academic institutions.

Over the years we have developed expertise in the management of chronic pelvic pain disorders such as endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia and nerve entrapments. Other conditions we manage include:

• back pain disorders
• myofascial pain syndromes
• fibromyalgia
• post-surgical neuralgias and somatic pains
• neuropathic pain disorders
• headaches
• chronic pain syndromes resulting from motor vehicle accidents and workplace injuries
  
  

Services Provided

• Diagnostic services offer a complete patient evaluation. For example: medical history, brief pain inventory (BPI), physical examination, diagnostic interventional blocks, clinical laboratory, and radiological investigation such as X-rays, CT scan, MRI scan and bone scan.
  
  
• Therapeutic services primarily use procedures such as nerve blocks, neurolysis, trigger point infiltrations, epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections and sympathetic ganglion blocks. Some of the procedures are performed with the guidance of ultrasound or fluoroscopic technologies. Pharmacologic management is also offered and supported by a thorough knowledge of drug therapies used in the field of pain medicine, such as opioids, analgesics, tricyclic antidepressants, anti-inflammatories, anti-convulsants, muscle relaxants and others.
  
  
• Co-ordination with other services, such as physiotherapy and rehabilitation, acupuncture, massage therapy, psychotherapy for coping strategies, biofeedback and relaxation techniques, and seeking second opinions for surgical candidacy.
  
  

Referral Information
Referrals must be made by hospital-based, external family practices or specialists' offices.  The referral can be sent by mail or fax to the Chronic Pain Management Clinic, attention Dr. Anwar V. Morgan, Medical Director, and should include the following information:

• specific reason for referral
• brief history of the pain disorder
• copies of all relevant investigations and consultations
• surgeries and previous treatment modalities
• list of current medications