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Comprehensive Pain Management:

The division provides comprehensive pain management, addressing  both acute and chronic pain syndromes.

The Acute Pain Service provides daily management of patients with postoperative and other types of acute pain requiring specialized interventions, including epidural analgesia, regional anesthetic techniques such as continuous peripheral nerve catheters, or complex pharmacological management. The service does not provide routine management for patients on IV-PCAs postoperatively, only performing this service when consulted by the primary care team.

The Chronic Pain Service provides comprehensive, interdisciplinary patient care at the University of North Carolina Pain Management Center. Our hospital-based outpatient clinics provide a interdisciplinary approach for the management of chronic pain, including cancer-related pain. We draw upon the expertise of our faculty as well as consultants from dentistry, psychiatry, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, physical medicine and rehabilitation and other specialists. Our dedicated facilities include specialized procedure rooms with state of the art monitoring, interview rooms, C-arm fluoroscopy, ultrasound guidance, and psychologists/psychiatrists on-site. In an attempt to develop comprehensive care plans, we may also encourage utilization of other resources at UNC or in your community, which may include acupuncture, physical therapy, aquatic therapy, weight loss treatment, and substance use treatment.

In addition, the Chronic Pain Service provides consultations for complex inpatient pain management problems, and daily rounds are performed to facilitate the care of these patients.
Psychology and Psychiatry providers in clinic will work with physicians to address the impact of pain on a person’s quality of life. We utilize therapeutic techniques, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and acceptance based approaches for pain to help you learn how to better cope with your pain and pain related changes in mood. We can also help with behavior modification to reduce pain, teach you strategies to better manage stress, and improve your sleep. We offer individual and group interventions, as well as inpatient consultations along with our physicians.

 

Your Care Team:

Physicians:

Brooke Chidgey, MD, Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, Division Chief & Medical Director of UNC Hospitals Pain Management Center

Dominika L. James, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Director of Pain Fellowship

Maryam Jowza, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Associate Fellowship Director

Andrew Lobonc, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Director of Inpatient Acute/Chronic Pain Service

Irina Phillips, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology

Matt Mauck, MD, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology

Nora Talley, CPP

Jaime Thompson, NP

Psychologists:

Amy M. Goetzinger, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology

Seema Patidar, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology

Skye Margolies, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology

Psychiatrists:

Jonny Gerkin, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Mark “Brandon” Goodman, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Bill Scheidler, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

 

For Patients:

  • Chronic back pain
  • Cervical neck pain, “whiplash”
  • Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (RSD)
  • Neuropathic Pain
  • Diabetic neuropathy
  • Herpetic and post-herpetic neuralgia
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Disc pain, facet and nerve root pain
  • Cancer related pain
  • Pelvic pain
  • Post-surgical and failed back syndrome
  • Post-traumatic pain
  • Sports injuries
  • Workplace injuries
  • Acute exacerbations of chronic pain syndromes

Because each patient’s needs are unique, we offer innovative clinical techniques for treating an array of painful conditions, including:

  • Rehabilitation
  • Behavior modification
  • Relaxation techniques and biofeedback
  • Pharmacological treatment
  • Psychological evaluation and treatment
  • Other clinically proven, evidence based alternatives

We also provide the expertise to implement a wide range of medical and surgical interventions both on an inpatient and outpatient basis. Specifically, these include:

  • Cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and caudal epidural steroid injections
  • Peripheral nerve blocks
  • Continuous infusion catheters (peripheral nerve, epidural, and intrathecal)
  • Sympathetic ganglia nerve blocks such as sphenopalatine, cervicothoracic, lumbar sympathetic, celiac plexus, superior and inferior hypogastric, and impar ganglia
  • Intra-articular facet injections
  • Medial branch blocks (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar)
  • Radio frequency thermocoagulation (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar)
  • Neurolytic procedures for peripheral nerves
  • Trigger point injections
  • Discography
  • Neuromodulation techniques with implantable technology for peripheral or central nervous system (spinal cord stimulation)
  • Psychological evaluation and therapy

 

For Physicians:

How to refer a patient to us
We recommend addressing any active substance use disorders, so please inform your patients about local consultation and treatment options. This can be a difficult, but important aspect of care. You can also reach out to your local health department for more information.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
SAMSHA Treatment Services Locator
SAMSHA Treatment Service Locator – Beta Version

 

Other Links:

Research – Anesthesiology Department Research Website
Medical Education – Anesthesiology Department Pain Fellowship Website

 

Pain Addiction and the Law Conference:

Annually we hold a Continuing Medical Education Conference that will address issues facing the medical staff treating the chronic pain patient.

Target Audience
Physicians, pharmacists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, hospital and community nurses, medical students, other health care providers and lay persons involved in managing acute or chronic pain in the clinic, inpatient settings, and community health settings.

For more information please follow this link: