Pain Specialist

A doctor’s referral is required to see our Pain Specialists.
Please discuss this with your doctor.

Conditions We Treat

Pain

LiveWell Healthcare Group Pain Services uses an interdisciplinary approach to pain management to achieve the best results. Depending on your needs you may need to see one or multiple health professionals. The LiveWell Healthcare Group team is comprised of Pain Specialists; Physiotherapists, Clinical Psychologists; Exercise Physiologists; and Occupational Therapists who work together to provide an individualized treatment plan aimed toward our patients’ goals. We understand that there are many types of pain, all that requires a specific treatment plan.

Acute Pain

(Pain that has been occurring for less than 3 months) Acute pain typically has a very defined starting point. Often a good understanding of causative factors can be found, and treatment typically lasts for less than 3 months. Acute pain also usually only requires a combination of simple pain relief medication and Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy interventions. Our evidence-based interventions are tailored towards each person’s requirement during the different phases of their recovery. At LiveWell Healthcare Group we also know that acute pain can at times continue on to become chronic pain. As such, we ensure that whilst treating people that have acute pain, we are looking out for markers of that particular person being at risk of developing chronic pain and provide proactive treatment strategies.

Post Operative Pain

Sometimes following surgery, individuals can experience ongoing pain requiring further management. This persistent pain can be the result of a disruption to, or injury of the nervous system which may require a combinations of medications and therapy to appropriately treat it.

Chronic Back & Neck Pain

Many people will experience back and or neck pain at some stage in their life. More often than not this pain resolves following a period of rest, over the counter pain relief medication and sometimes a short period of physiotherapy. However, when the pain does not respond to treatment and is prolonged to the point that it impacts your daily living, it is considered to be chronic in nature. Here at LiveWell Healthcare Group we can provide a multidisciplinary approach to assist with managing your pain and improving your quality of life through our tailored and effective pain management programmes.

Nerve Pain

Nerve pain occurs when there is damage directly to the nerves or changes in other bodily structures that can influence pain. The way in which you feel this pain might be different to pain you’ve felt before. People with nerve pain may describe sensations, which are not limited to but may include burning, cooling or electric shocks. They may also be associated with sensations that can be described as tingling, fuzziness or itching. Common areas affected by nerve pain include:

– Knee
– Post amputation sites
– Genitals and generalized pelvic area
– Wrist/hand
– Ankle/foot
– Shoulder

Post-herpetic Neuralgia

Neuralgia is severe pain along the course of a nerve. The pain occurs because of a change in neurological structure or function due to irritation or damage of a nerve. Postherpetic neuralgia is a painful condition caused by a complication of shingles which affects the nerve fibres and skin. Pain Specialists can assess and provide effective strategies to assist in the management of this painful condition.

Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is the most common form of diabetic neuropathy. Your feet and legs are often affected first, followed by your hands and arms. Signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are often worse at night, and may include:

Numbness or reduced ability to feel pain or temperature changes
A tingling or burning sensation
Sharp pains or cramps
Increased sensitivity to touch — for some people, even the weight of a bed sheet can be agonising
Muscle weakness
Loss of reflexes, especially in the ankle
Loss of balance and coordination
Serious foot problems, such as ulcers, infections, deformities, and bone and joint pain.

Diabetic neuropathy has no known cure. Treatment for diabetic neuropathy focuses on:

Slowing progression of the disease
Relieving pain
Managing complications and restoring function

Post Surgical Nerve Pain

Surgeons and anaesthetists are involved in Pain Medicine, as they have a responsibility to contribute to postoperative pain management and are often consulted about longer-term pain problems as well. A large component of persistent pain after surgery can be defined as neuropathic pain (NP). Nerves are injured during surgery and pain can persist after the surgical wound has healed. NP is because of a primary lesion or dysfunction of the peripheral or central nervous system. Prevalence estimates indicate that 2-3% of the population in the developed world experience NP. Persistent post-surgical NP is a mostly unrecognised clinical problem. The chronicity and persistence of post-surgical NP is often severely debilitating and impinges on the psychosocial, physical, economic and emotional well-being of patients. Options for treatment of any neuropathic factors are based on understanding the pain mechanisms involved. Pain Specialists play a key role in the diagnosis and treatment planning for post operative nerve pain and with appropriate management pain and function can significantly improve.

Post operative nerve pain is most common following:

Hernia repair
Knee replacement
Breast surgery

Headaches

Headaches encompass a wide range of people, causes, severity and type. They can vary from brief headaches after a hard day’s work, to severe, consistent and regular migraines which can cause a range of symptoms. Some general headache types that are often spoken about include migraines, cervicogenic/neck headaches, cluster headaches and tension headaches. Livewell Healthcare Group Pain Services has the availability of services to assess and treat all headache types.

Pain Associated with Arthritic Conditions

Arthritic pain can be debilitating, particularly during a ‘flare up’. LiveWell Healthcare Group can offer you education and support to assist in managing your pain and improving your independence. Our physiotherapist can help with your joint function, strength, and fitness levels whilst minimising the risk of aggravation and improving your overall function. In addition the occupational therapists at the LiveWell Healthcare Group specialise in maximising your independence and can assist you toward your goals. Occupational therapists can offer advice on how you can accomplish tasks with great ease, use less energy, and reduce pain ‘flare ups’ with safe and effective strategies.

Phantom Limb Pain

Phantom Limb Pain is pain that occurs for a part of the body that is no longer there. It is typically seen post complete or part amputation of the arm, hand, or leg. It can also be seen after eye, ear, breast, penis, tongue removal. Phantom Limb Pain is very treatable, but will often require a combination of therapies including medication management, exercise and movement management, psychology for adjustment to injury and retraining to accommodate the amputation/removal. Graded Motor Imagery (also known as Mirror Therapy) has shown promising results regarding the treatment of Phantom Limb Pain

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

Complex regional pain syndrome is considered to be a rare condition involving the nervous system. CRPS can occur following injuries such as fractures or soft tissue damage. Whilst CRPS can be a difficult condition to manage, the team at LiveWell Healthcare Group have many years’ experience in the latest and scientifically supported treatment programs. The treatment program includes a multidisciplinary approach including input from doctors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, and psychologists.

Unexplained Pain

Over the past decades, scientific understanding of ‘unexplained’ chronic pain disorders has increased substantially. It has become clear that the majority of cases of chronic musculoskeletal pain are characterised by alterations in central nervous system processing. Basically, individuals can experience moderate to intense levels of pain in one or multiple body parts that had no clear identifiable cause. Pain specialists can provide answers and appropriate treatment strategies for unexplained pain.