Treatments

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based psycho-social intervention that helps to change thoughts, feelings and behaviors related to pain to improve quality of life and functioning.

• Building coping skills
• Addressing anxiety and/or depression that may accompany pain
• Development of a functional restoration plan

Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a technique used to help decrease pain. Using sensors, you can prevent and reduce pain by learning to control body functions like breathing and muscle tension.

Stress management, Relaxation, and Mindfulness training

We teach a variety of relaxation techniques to help promote comfort, reduce stress, and improve pain.

School Consultation

We work with families and schools to address how pain impacts a child at school. We provide recommendations for schools to accommodate children with pain in order to maintain academic progress.

Life Style Management

Recommendations will be provided on eating and hydration habits, sleeping habits, and exercise to help in prevention and management of headaches.

Occupational and/or Physical Therapy

 

Acupuncture

Many children are good candidates for acupuncture. Our acupuncture specialists often recommend therapy for children who:

• Are under stress
• Suffer frequent headaches
• Have muscle or skeletal pain
• Have muscle fatigue or soreness
• Feel tense or stiff
• Have a variety of allergic problems, including sinus drainage
• Have abdominal pain
• Have chronic nausea
• Have dental pain

Please note: If your child has headaches or another painful condition, it is critical that you first seek traditional medical care to make sure your child doesn’t have a serious underlying health condition. Acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of medicine. It has gained mainstream and medical acceptance. Based on the Chinese belief that illness results from the interruption of qi ("chee") flowing through channels in the body, practitioners insert tiny acupuncture needles at various points along these channels. These needles help restore or re-balance the flow of qi.

Our specialist

Dr. Lynn Rusy and Dr. Julianne Lee have offered acupuncture at Children’s Hospital for many years. Their patients with chronic pain have experienced great results from acupuncture therapy. Each appointment will range from 30 to 60 minutes. Since many insurance providers will not cover acupuncture, you may have to pay for our services out of pocket.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is the use of electric current produced by a device to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes. A typical battery-operated TENS unit is able to modulate pulse width, frequency and intensity therapy that uses low-voltage electrical current for pain relief. You do TENS with a small, battery-powered machine about the size of a pocket radio. Usually, you connect four electrodes (wires that conduct electrical current) from the machine to your skin.

• Acetaminophen
• NSAID (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs)
• Opioid analgesics
• Migraine specific “triptans”
• Antidepressant PAIN preventers
• Antiseizure PAIN preventers
• Blood pressure PAIN preventers

This may in turn reduce pain, and other symptoms caused by inflammation or irritation of the nerves and surrounding structures. Some headaches over the back of the head including certain types of tension headaches and migraine headaches, may respond to occipital nerve blocks. Sometimes medication can be delivered through a tiny plastic tube (nerve catheter) placed next to the nerve which can last for several days. This can be used to treat chronic pain when drugs or other treatments do not control pain or cause bad side effects. All providers performing nerve blocks are trained in the technique.

TPI is a procedure used to treat painful areas of muscle that contain trigger points, or knots of muscle that form when muscles do not relax. Some injections are done with a mixture of local anesthetic and steroids. The local anesthetic will numb the area for 1 to 3 hours. The steroids remain in the tissue in active form for about one month.

May prevent headaches and migraines . It's given about every 12 weeks. It often takes 2 treatments 12 weeks apart, to determine if it is working for you. It's injected with a very small needle in many locations around the head, face and neck.  It takes about 15-30 minutes for each series of injections.