Paediatrics Overview

Department

Paediatrics Pain Clinic

Paediatrics Overview

Physician Day Time Room Extension No.
Dr. Vrushali Ponde Thurs 1330 - 1530 14 423

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world" ......C.S. Lewis

Why a special pain clinic for children?

Pain is personal. It really belongs to the one feeling it. Adults are articulate and can describe their pain to physicians and therefore receive appropriate treatment. Children, on the other hand, are not precise and clear when describing their complaints. Therefore, chronic pain in children runs the risk of going unrecognized and under-treated. Children need a different approach.

We believe in a child's complaint of pain. With a deep sense of purpose we have embarked on setting up a Pain Clinic specifically meant for children to meet their special requirements. At the Pain Clinic we assess dimensions of pain with various tools i.e. quantify pain and also assess the impact of pain on function.

To our knowledge this is the first pain clinic dedicated only to children in our country.

How prevalent is chronic pain in children?

The incidence of chronic pain in children the world over is about 20%. The simple fact about chronic unexplained pain is that it develops when the area of the brain that has been receiving pain signals becomes activated and remains active even if there are no more pain signals stimulating it. At the Pain Clinic, we try and soothe the nervous system and reactivate the body's natural pain control mechanisms.

It is important that we identify chronic pain in children as a separate entity by itself; rather than approaching pain by looking for the disease or condition that causes pain and, if not found, conclude that the child is faking it for attention seeking or has an underlying psychological cause.

Which chronic pain conditions are treated at the Pain Clinic?

Persistent pain, with known or unknown cause, such as:-

  • Musculo-skeletal pain syndrome, fibromyalgia.
  • Complex regional pain syndrome.
  • Cancer related pains.
  • Functional abdominal pain.
  • Headaches
  • Phantom limb.
  • Sickle cell pain.
What are the treatment options for chronic pain?
  • Pharmacotherapy
  • Regional blocks for pain relief.
  • Physical therapy.
  • Biofeedback
  • TENS (Transcutaeneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)
  • Trigger point injections.
Click Here To Inquire