Dealing with chronic pain is challenging for individuals and their families. While the pain itself is unpleasant, long term or recurring pain can affect every aspect of an individual’s life, from school performance and social adjustment to emotional well-being, physical and family health.
Although medical professionals always strive to eliminate causes of pain, in some cases even the best treatments do not guarantee your child will be pain-free. In these situations, our focus is on helping your child learn to cope with and manage his or her pain.
The Comprehensive Pain Management Center at University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital helps children, adolescents and young adults deal with ongoing pain and get back to life. Our focus is on helping individuals return to normal, healthy activities of daily living.
The Comprehensive Pain Management Center provides outpatient evaluation and treatment services for individuals with a variety of painful conditions with known or unknown causes.
Like many other programs designed for rehabilitation, our program emphasizes the necessity of movement and participation in age appropriate, typical activities, to promote overall well-being and pain management. Common activity goals include returning to school, spending appropriate time with friends, improving family life and returning to recreation activities.
Currently, we are the first and only integrative and comprehensive program treating pediatric chronic pain in the state of Michigan.
The clinic treats a wide variety of symptoms and chronic painful conditions including:
- Amplified musculoskeletal pain (AMPS)
- Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
- Musculoskeletal pain, including back pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Pain secondary to acute or chronic illness (arthritis, cancer, etc.)
- Hypermobility syndromes
- Chronic or recurrent abdominal pain
- Myofascial pain
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Sickle cell anemia
- Select somatic symptom disorders
- Chronic/recurrent headache
Because every child is different, our team individualizes the pain treatment plans for each child we see, incorporating conventional medicine with a variety of complementary approaches.
Family-focused care
We are committed to family-centered care. Family members are not only involved in all decision making, but are encouraged to be an active part of each child’s treatment. Learning to live with pain sometimes involves re-setting every day routines and behaviors that involve siblings, parents and extended family. We will work with your family to help establish productive routines that work for you as a whole.
Our team can work with your child to learn healthy ways to express feelings and communicate through pain. We also support parents in learning effective parenting strategies for children who experience complex pain.
Our pain management team
Your child will have access to a full spectrum of specialists with expertise working with children with chronic and complex pain. Our team includes a child psychologist, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and anesthesiologists.
To learn more or make an appointment with the Pediatric Comprehensive Pain Management Center, call 734-936-4220.