Comprehensive Pain Treatments
If you are living with acute or chronic pain that doesn’t respond to conventional therapies, the experts at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) can help. The pain management team at William Arnold-Carol A. Warfield, MD, Pain Center and its community locations know how to diagnose and treat your pain. You get advanced, compassionate care. We provide a full range of pain treatments so you can return to a more active life.
Arnold-Warfield Pain Center
The Arnold-Warfield Pain Center at BIDMC is a nationally recognized leader in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of complex pain conditions. With a multidisciplinary team of pain specialists, anesthesiologists, psychologists and physical therapists, the center provides patient-centered care tailored to your unique needs.
Using the latest evidence-based therapies — including interventional procedures, medication management, psychological support and rehabilitative techniques — the Arnold-Warfield Pain Center aims to reduce pain, improve function and enhance quality of life for patients coping with acute, chronic or cancer-related pain.
As part of an academic medical center affiliated with Harvard Medical School, the center is also deeply committed to advancing pain medicine through research, innovation and training of future pain management specialists.
Conditions We Treat
Living with any kind of pain can be exhausting — both physically and mentally. At the Arnold-Warfield Pain Center, we treat and manage a wide range of pain conditions. These include:
- Arthritis
- Back and neck conditions
- Cancer pain
- Chronic post-surgical pain
- Headache and migraine pain
- Muscle conditions
- Nerve conditions
- Phantom limb syndrome
- Visceral pain
- Whiplash injury pain
More About Pain Management
Your pain control plan may include different types of treatment options:
- Acupuncture
- Behavior therapy
- Interventional therapies
- Medicine
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
You have many options for interventional therapy. Your doctor will discuss the best choice for treating your type of pain. There are many kinds of interventional therapies:
- Botox injections
- Cryoblation
- Discography
- Epidural steroid injection
- Facet joint injection
- Lumbar sympathetic block
- Minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD)
- Nerve root block
- Radiofrequency rhizotomy
- Shoulder, hip and knee joint injections
- Spinal cord stimulator
- Stellate ganglion block
- Tenotomy procedure
- Vertebral augmentation (kyphoplasty)
If your doctor recommends a diagnostic procedure or treatment, your care team helps you prepare. Talk with your care team about these steps you may need to take before your procedure:
- Arranging for someone to drive you home after the procedure
- Not eating or drinking before treatment
- Stopping certain medicines
Your care team also provides information about the benefits and risks of your treatment. Be sure to ask your doctor or nurse any questions you have. We want you to feel comfortable about your treatment choice. Together, we can manage your pain.
At the Arnold-Warfield Pain Center at BIDMC, we don’t routinely prescribe long-term opioids for pain management.
Your care team decides if opioid medicine is the right way to manage your pain. We will send our recommendations to your primary or treating doctor.
We will not give you a prescription for opioids at your first visit.
If you think you have an addiction problem, please talk to your primary care doctor about treatment options. The BIDMC Department of Psychiatry also provides addiction and substance abuse disorder treatment options.
At the BIDMC Comprehensive Headache Center, we provide personalized treatment for these and all other types of headaches:
- Cluster headache
- Hemicrania continua
- Migraine
- Post-traumatic headache
- Trigeminal neuralgia
Our headache specialists, neurologists and pain experts will work with your primary care doctor to give you the right care. You may receive a variety of treatments:
- Drug therapy
- Integrative therapy
- Interventional treatments (botulinum toxin, commonly called Botox; injections, nerve blocks)
Additional Services
Your pain management team includes and coordinates your care with specialty providers throughout our medical center. Together, your pain specialists create a treatment plan just for you. This ensures you receive comprehensive, streamlined care.
Advancing Care, Research & Education
Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine
Our multidisciplinary team of specialists delivers safe care and successful health outcomes through evidence-based practices.
Research
Our team is committed to advancing research and patient care excellence in anesthesia, critical care and pain medicine.
Education
We provide wide-ranging education and training opportunities in anesthesiology, critical care and pain medicine.
