Multidisciplinary Pain Center

UW Medical Center

1959 NE Pacific

Seattle, WA 98195-6044

Phone: 206-598-4282

website:  www.washington.edu

Contact: Dr. Thomas Edwards

The Multidisciplinary Pain Center at University of Washington Medical Center-Roosevelt provides diagnosis and treatment for a variety of chronic pain problems, in addition to certain acutely painful conditions. Treatment goals focus on the reduction of disability and pain so that individuals can return to an optimal level of function in both their work and personal lives.

The Pain Center has highly trained physicians and clinical psychologists from six departments of the UW School of Medicine, providing the ability to treat chronic pain conditions by specialists in anesthesiology, rehabilitation medicine, neurology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, neurosurgery and family medicine.

The Multidisciplinary Pain Center at University of Washington Medical Center provides comprehensive evaluation and consultation for a variety of chronic pain syndromes and problems, ranging from focal pain such as headache and low-back pain, to more diffuse pain problems such as fibromyalgia.

The staff includes specialists in the following areas: anesthesiology, rehabilitation medicine, neurology, family medicine, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and medical psychology. While specific physicians and pyschologists work regularly in the various Pain Center clinics, additional specialists are brought in as patients' needs require.  A state-of-the-art physical and occupational therapy facility is located adjacent to the Pain Center. A pharmacy, laboratory and radiology department are all  located within the building.

The Center also offers diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to assist referring physicians in their treatment planning, including nerve blocks for peripheral nerve injuries and neuropathies, epidural steroids, facet joint injections, paravertebral blocks for the diagnosis and location of radiculopathies, SI-steroid injections, and neuroablative techniques.

The Center’s services include:

Evaluation/Consult Service

This service provides the referring physician with a comprehensive evaluation and specific recommendations for complex, difficult-to-manage patients with puzzling pain problems. The evaluation consists of a thorough medical evaluation from a pain specialist, combined with a comprehensive psychological evaluation by a specialized pain psychologist (including psychometric testing). When appropriate, the evaluation may include an evaluation by one of our Rehabilitation counselors. This is often the first cognitive and behavioral psychological evaluation ever completed by the patient. These combined assessments provide the referring physician with practical treatment and management recommendations as well as guidance with respect to medications, activity levels, and procedures.

Procedure Clinic

This clinic is staffed by anesthesiologists specializing in treating outpatient chronic pain problems, provides both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Clinical services include diagnosis and therapeutic blocks for the treatment of RSD, peripheral nerve injuries and neuropathies; epidural steroids; facet joint injections; paravertebral blocks for the diagnosis and location of radiculopathies, SI-steroid injections, and neuroablative techniques. Trigger point injections and dry needling are also available for myofascial pain, particularly in conjunction with an active rehabilitation program. Rapid response to referring physicians is a hallmark of this service.

Headache Clinic

This clinic combines the efforts of family physicians, clinical psychologists specializing in the treatment of headache, and a physical therapy program designed for the chronic headache sufferer. Medication management, combined with physical therapy and group or individual psychotherapy, is available if the patient's needs indicate such services to be beneficial. Self-management preparation and training is a goal of this service.

Structured Outpatient Program

This comprehensive outpatient program is available for patients who have been disabled by chronic pain and have tried a number of medical and non-medical approaches, yet still are unable to function optimally despite the best efforts of the heath-care community.

The program provides an intensive interdisciplinary approach to long-standing chronic pain syndromes. It aims to restore patient functioning and activity, including return to work for patients who are unemployed secondary to pain. Other goals include a decrease or elimination of pain medication use, decreased health care utilization, decreased patient and family distress, and improved patient ability to manage pain.

Actual outcome data from patients successfully completing this 19-day program show that these goals are attained. Entry into the program follows a multidisciplinary evaluation to assess the patient's likelihood of success in an intensive, active rehabilitation program with attention focused on vocational issues (when applicable), psychological interventions, medication modifications, and self-management strategies. Typically patients participate on a full-time basis for three weeks, although the program can be modified to meet specific needs.