nationally ranked care, close to home
Meet the Care Team
Patient Stories
Darian finds relief through a multi-modal approach to pain management
Darian was diagnosed with sickle cell disease when he was just 10 days old after a routine newborn screening, and has been on an almost decade-long struggle to manage the pain and serious complications that come with his disease ever since. He has been closely monitored by the Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease program in the Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Health℠, one of the largest pediatric programs for patients with sickle cell disease in the nation, and he and his family have worked with a multi-disciplinary team of specialists to address the many health challenges he has faced over the years.
Conditions We Treat
Pediatric cancer pain
Peripheral neuropathy in children
Sports injuries in children
Pediatric amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS)
Pediatric back pain
Headaches in children
Pediatric complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS or RSD)
Pediatric fibromyalgia
Musculoskeletal pain in children
Neuropathic pain in children
Pediatric Nerve Injuries
Pediatric chronic abdominal pain (stomach ache)
More Details
Focused on quickly developing a treatment plan to reduce pain
During your initial visit to the chronic pain clinic, three care providers will see your child—a pain management physician, physical therapist and psychologist. Each will meet with you and your child for 30 minutes to an hour. The entire visit will last three to four hours. By spending that amount of time with you, we can be as thorough as possible and develop a treatment plan.
You will also leave with a follow-up visit scheduled with one of our pain management advanced practice providers. The follow-up will last about one hour and is an opportunity to evaluate your child’s progress on the previously provided recommendations and make changes as needed.
Our care team treats more than the physical effects of chronic pain
We realize physical pain also affects your child’s emotional well-being. That’s why our care team is built around treating the whole child.
Your chronic pain management team consists of:
Board-Certified Pain Management Physician - Our pain management physicians have extensive experience in assessing and treating pain in children. They will be responsible for the overall care plan after coordinating with other team members. The pain physician will determine whether medication or other appropriate treatment options will effectively treat the pain. They will also discuss ways to improve your child’s daily level of functioning.
Physical Therapist – Our physical therapists assess the effect of pain on the body's strength, movement and posture. They will evaluate which exercises can be used to reduce pain. Physical therapy is often more effective than medications and injections to relieve a number of painful conditions, including sports injuries, back pain and musculoskeletal pain. They will recommend a physical therapy program for your child or provide resources and home exercises.
Psychologist – Our psychologists will work with a child to develop coping skills and implement behavioral medicine techniques that may be extremely effective in controlling pain and reducing stress. This is a vital assessment, since we know that stress and anxiety play a large role in most chronic pain cases. Our psychologist can provide resources for therapy services, if recommended.