When it comes to the management of pain, including chronic or recurring pain, the medical community is creating and implementing new processes to treat and aid in this at increasingly rapid rates. Many of the emerging modalities are centered around holistic and very personalized forms of care. That is, more providers are moving away from prescribing mainstream pharmaceutical drugs, and are instead focusing on the unique needs of each patient they see. Below, we review some of the current emerging modalities when it comes to managing chronic, recurring or simply uncomfortable pain.
Modalities are described as specialized therapeutic techniques, agents or devices often integrated into the comprehensive treatment program of a patient. They can utilize sound waves, heat, electrical and light energy to create changes in tissue for therapeutic and relief based reasons.
Often among the emerging modalities of today, one will find several cell and gene therapies, which utilize biological treatments created from a patient’s own body. In addition to regenerative medicine, precision medicine – an emerging approach for treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle of each patient – is under way. Medicine of these styles are advancing rapidly, with new technologies and treatment modalities being developed to meet the unique needs of patients. While this could mean great things for individualized treatment plans, and their success, it could also mean quality standards in medicine will need to evolve to account for variables that are not considered in the common “one size fits all” model.
Combination therapies and new delivery systems are playing an essential role in how well a drug works in the body. In conjunction with the studies being conducted that fall in line with the above, several different methods have been developed to administer non-invasive pain management techniques. From heat therapy and cryotherapy, to ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and low level cold laser therapy, the options for patients suffering from acute, chronic, recurring or generally uncomfortable pain are improving and becoming more available.
If you believe that any of the above treatment options may improve your overall physical and mental health, please reach out to our team. We are happy to review any alternative medicine options with you, and help determine what option(s) is the best fit for your future.
