Acute Pain Services

About the Program

The Acute Pain Services at the Pain Management Center at Massachusetts General Hospital provide inpatient and outpatient services to assist you with postoperative or post-traumatic pain relief.

We offer a range of therapies and work collaboratively with you to create a treatment program and deliver care tailored to your specific needs. Our therapies include:

• Continuous peripheral nerve blockades
• Epidural blood patches
• Lumbar punctures
• Medication management
• Specialized interventions, such as epidural injections
• Ultrasound-guided nerve blocks

The Mass General Difference

The Acute Pain Services care team comprises physicians who are defining the field of pain medicine. Our doctors conduct well-known innovative research on methods to improve pain management, serve in leadership positions at relevant medical societies, speak at national and international conferences, publish frequently and teach courses on trends in pain medicine.

Mass General is consistently ranked among the best hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Our ranking is based on our quality of care, patient safety and reputation in different specialties. Our commitment to excellence means that we work to ensure that you receive the best care at all points during your visit.

Inpatient Services

Our doctors work closely with surgeons and care teams throughout Mass General to help you recover from surgery. Pain management is an important part of recovery and is instrumental in reducing the amount of time that you may stay in the hospital.

The Acute Pain Services at Mass General is staffed 24 hours a day. We follow you after surgery and work with your doctor to adjust your treatment plan as necessary. If you need additional pain care after leaving the hospital, you are seen in our outpatient clinic. Our goal is to treat your pain at all phases of your recovery.

If you have experienced trouble with pain after previous surgeries, our doctors can meet with you prior to your surgery to discuss your condition and pain management options. You can contact us directly to set up an appointment, but you will need your physician’s referral first.

Outpatient Services

The Acute Pain Services has outpatient clinics in Boston and Waltham. Acute pain is pain that has been present for less than 12 weeks, and we treat patients who come to us with or without a diagnosed condition. Our care team reviews each case through a multidisciplinary approach and will recommend a treatment plan that may include a range of options from medication management to physical therapy to minimally invasive procedures.

Pre-Surgery Consultation

Your surgeon may recommend that you consult with our care team prior to surgery. During this consultation, we conduct a physical examination and review your medical history. We ask that you bring a list of medications, vitamins and herbal supplements that you take, along with information on dosages. Additionally, please bring any medical records, CDs of images, consultation notes, and notes on previous treatments and their effectiveness. We use this information at the time of your first visit to get a complete picture of you and your overall condition in order to develop an appropriate pain management plan.

Treatment options, including risks and benefits, are discussed in detail. We work with you to determine the best treatment plan for you and give you the information you need to make an informed decision.

Research and Innovation

As an academic medical center, Mass General invests in research to better understand disease and develop innovative approaches to prevention and treatment. In addition to seeing patients, doctors within the Pain Management Center conduct research on pain management options to further develop the field of pain medicine.

There are a number of clinical trials available to assess the effectiveness of treating various pain conditions. We are currently seeking interested and qualified patients to participate in our clinical trials.

Learn more