Diagnosis & TreatmentPain Management

Pain Management

The location of the pancreas, surrounded by several organs and networks of nerves makes pain management essential for many patients undergoing treatment for pancreatic disorders. The Pancreas Center works closely with the Pain Management Center at Columbia University to help patients with medical and behavioral aspects of their pain control.

Pain can interfere with sleep, nutrition, and day-to-day activities. It can be triggered by drinking cold fluids, eating rich foods, eating large meals, and caffeine, alcohol and nicotine consumption.

A variety of treatments are available that can control pain and enhance quality of life.

Pain Management Center

The Pain Management Center at Columbia University has established a tradition of combining strong clinical acumen with empirically tested treatment approaches. Under the leadership of Dr. Michael Weinberger, the Pain Management Center's clinical staff is fellowship trained and board certified, with expertise in a variety of pain conditions (syndromes) including in the treatment of abdominal pain secondary to pancreatitis and pancreatic tumors.

While pain causes physical discomfort, it also often interferes with ability to carry out normal activities such as employment, housework, recreation, even sleep. Many people with chronic pain find that it affects their emotional well being, as well. The Center. s goal is to alleviate pain while helping the patient develop coping strategies that facilitate the resumption of a useful and productive life.

Our center utilizes a comprehensive, interdisciplinary medical and behavioral approach that is likely to include more than one type of treatment to cover multiple pain management needs that can coincide in one individual. Treatments offered by the Center include medication, acupuncture, behavioral therapy, Celiac plexus and Peripheral nerve blocks, Relaxation training biofeedback, intravenous infusions, spinal cord stimulation and electrical nerve stimulation, among others.

Located in the heart of the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center campus at 622 W. 168th Street in Manhattan, the Center is easily accessible by public transportation and easy to access for inpatients and outpatients alike. Its referral process is simple for the patient and the referring physician, and it participates in multiple health care plans, including managed care, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Management Evaluation and Treatment

On a patient's first visit, the Pain Management Center conducts a thorough assessment including a review of medical history, completion of an intake questionnaire, and finally, an initial consultation with the pain physician, and if necessary, by additional practitioners and a clinical psychologist.

You will receive recommendations and appropriate treatments, and scheduled for a medical follow-up appointment in 2-4 weeks. If psychological intervention is recommended, then you will be asked to return for follow-up with the psychologist more frequently.

Treatment in Pain Management

Our treatment approach is interdisciplinary and is likely to include more than one modality. For the treatment of pain related to pancreatic disease the modalities available are: