When a patient is referred to Advanced Pain Centers of Montana, our staff's primary purpose is to provide the patient with a comprehensive approach to pain management within one program.  We will work closely with the primary care doctor, review the patient’s medical records and X-rays as needed, will ask the patient to describe the pain in detail, such as where it hurts, for how long, what makes the pain worse or what makes it feel better. The doctor may ask the patient to fill out a detailed questionnaire that helps the doctor to assess the impact that the patient’s pain is having on his or her lifestyle and if it is interfering with daily activities.  The doctor also will do a complete physical examination on the patient.  The doctor may need to order other tests and will then review all of their findings to determine what is causing the pain and how the problem can be corrected.

Due to rapid advances in medicine, a wide variety of medications and treatments are available for pain management.  Each patient’s pain management plan is carefully designed and tailored to his or her specific needs and circumstances.  Medication alone may not be enough to manage certain kinds of pain. Some medicines are more effective in fighting pain when they are combined with other methods of treatment. In some cases, the patient's pain condition may respond to treatment instead of medication. In fact, for some patients, certain therapies may eventually replace the need for taking any pain medicine, or less of it, over time. Here are just some of the available treatments being used successfully to treat pain patients.