Advanced Pain Center

812.353.2700 or 866.353.2700
888 Auto Mall Road, Bloomington

As a person with pain, you have the right to have your pain taken seriously, thoroughly assessed, and promptly treated. These are just a few rights outlined from the American Pain Foundations’ Pain Care Bill of Rights.  At Bloomington Hospital’s Advanced Pain Center, excellent physicians and clinicians use innovative techniques and treatments to deliver individualized relief for both chronic and acute pain.The Advanced Pain Center uses research and evidence-based practices to manage pain. A referral from your primary care physician or specialist physician is required to ensure coordinated care, and we will obtain records from the referring physician. Our physicians and nurses work closely with other disciplines to more fully manage your pain.

Pain relief techniques available include, but are not limited to:

• Epidural steroid injections (translaminar or transforaminal) for treatment of disk disease/herniations, or neck, trunk, arm, leg or back pain.
• Stellate ganglion nerve blocks for reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and/or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) of upper extremity
• Lumbar sympathetic blocks for RSD/CRPS of lower extremity
• Greater occipital nerve blocks for headache treatment
• Pulsed radio-frequency ablation for treatment of various area of pain for longer lasting pain relief
• Trigger point injections for treatment of myofascial pain syndrome
• Ilioinguinal/genitofemoral nerve blocks used to treat pain in these areas usually associated with previous surgical procedures
• Physical and occupational therapies including massage and aquatic therapy are available
• One-on-one counseling with a pain management specialist
• Located on-site, an acupuncturist works in collaboration with local physicians to provide complementary services. This is not a Bloomington Hospital service, but is offered in the same building for your convenience.

About your pain:
You may need the specialized treatments at the Advanced Pain Center for a number of conditions, including lower back  or neck pain, headaches/migraines, hip or leg pain, RSD or CRPS, trigger points, fibromyalgia, or cancer pain.

• Acute pain is triggered by actual or potential tissue damage and can be severe, lasting days or weeks.
• Chronic pain is pain that lasts more than six months, and lasts after the initial injury has healed. It may be constant or intermittent, and is often described in many different ways, such as stinging, sharp, stabbing, dull, aching, and more. Unlike acute pain you may not know the reason for your chronic pain. 

About your visit:
Your first visit will consist of a review of your history and a physical examination focusing on the areas involved in your pain. You may also receive a pain relief procedure during your initial visit as determined by you and the physician.

Treatment goals at the Advanced Pain Center are individualized for each patient. Possible outcomes include:

• Decreased or tolerable pain levels 
• Improved functioning at home
• Return to work
• Decreased health care utilization
• Increased physical activity
• Reduction of opiate medication usage
• Improved quality of life
   

Our Physicians & Staff
Any doctor who has privileges at Bloomington Hospital may work out of the Advanced Pain Center. Physicians who perform the pain procedures are board certified in Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and have been specifically trained to manage pain. A board certified nurse practitioner leads our team. We utilize interdisciplinary approaches to treat pain and may include services of physical, occupational, aquatic, and massage therapies.