Pain Conditions and Disorders Program

About the Program

The Pain Management Center at Massachusetts General Hospital delivers comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for individuals with pain conditions and disorders, including:

• Acute herpes zoster (shingles) resulting in nerve damage
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Headache disorders
• Peripheral nerve injuries, including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS, also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and Causalgia), which is chronic pain affecting the arm or the leg
• Myofascial pain
• Non-rheumatologic joint pain
• Other musculoskeletal disorders

Treatment Options

Our treatment programs involve a range of therapies that include:

• Advanced interventions such as radiofrequency ablation, which delivers heat to nerve tissues surrounding a joint to destroy this tissue and interrupt pain signals
• Injections such as epidural steroids, facet joint, sacroiliac joint and trigger point, which treat pain by delivering anti-inflammatory medicine to affected areas
• Medication management
• Physical therapy

While we offer cognitive-behavioral therapy and interventional treatment for selected headache disorders, the patient’s primary referral for headache evaluation and treatment should be directed to the Mass General Department of Neurology.

Our Approach

Your care team is made up of board-certified doctors who have received specialty training in pain medicine, fellows who are undergoing specialty training, psychologists and psychiatrists.

We will work with you, your referring physician and your care team to coordinate all aspects of your care, including medication management, physical therapy, behavioral management and work re-entry. We treat you at all levels of your condition.

We also help patients who rely on opioids to treat their conditions. It may be your goal to transition from opioid therapy to alternate forms of treatment. We provide resources within our center to assist you with that transition.

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Access to Expert Care

The care team at the Pain Management Center comprises physicians who are leaders in 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.

As an academic medical center, Mass General invests in research to understand diseases and develop new approaches in treatment. Our doctors are leaders within their respective fields and collaborate with colleagues in various departments across the hospital. As a patient, you benefit from shared expertise, leading research, and our commitment to quality and excellence.

Mass General has consistently been ranked as a top hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. This ranking is based on our quality of care, patient safety and reputation in more than a dozen clinical specialties. Our commitment to excellence means that we work to ensure that you receive the best care at all points during your visit.

Patient Experience

During your initial consultation, your care team will conduct a physical examination and review your medical history and treatment objectives. 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, imaging records, 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.

Your treatment options, including risks and benefits, will be discussed in detail. We will work with you to develop the best plan for you.