Myth 1: Pain clinics treat the symptoms but not the root cause This idea is the biggest misconception patients have about pain clinics. When a patient comes to the pain department, the doctor will not blindly give medication, but will first try to find out the cause of the pain. This requires the pain management doctor to have a wide range of knowledge and diverse treatment methods, as well as a holistic view, rather than treating the head when the head aches and treating the foot when the foot hurts. If the cause of pain is not clear and treatment in other departments does not have significant effect, then the pain department can be chosen. How do doctors provide analgesia? When our body is under tension, disease, etc., it releases some chemicals and at the same time produces pain signals, which stimulate the nerve endings and make the pain signals travel from the local part of the body to the brain. Pain doctors usually use nerve blocks, applying local anesthesia and a small amount of hormonal drugs to block the vicious cycle of pain, eliminate muscle tension and spasm, dilate blood vessels, improve blood circulation, and promote the excretion of pain-causing substances with blood metabolism, ultimately achieving the purpose of eliminating pain. In addition, hormonal drugs also have anti-inflammatory effects, which can also reduce pain. It is worth pointing out that there are various pain treatment methods, and the current advocate is a comprehensive treatment method based on minimally invasive surgery, and nerve block is only one of them. Misconception 2: The treatment of pain requires the patient to adhere to the medication, and many people are eager to cure the disease, and do not want the pain to be completely eliminated at once. In fact, treatment requires patience, and like chronic pain, it requires even more patience to treat. For some pains, doctors consider reducing the pain to 50% as a successful treatment. The reason is simple, many diseases cannot be completely cured, such as diabetes, hypertension and other diseases, there is no way to cure them, only to control blood pressure and blood sugar at the right level. The same is true for pain. When the cause cannot be eradicated, reducing the symptoms is the best treatment. Myth 3: Anti-epileptic and anti-depressant drugs cannot be used to treat pain Nowadays, patients are very concerned about their diseases and learn about them through various channels and ways. This is certainly a good thing, patients understand their disease and there can be a better communication between doctors and patients. Many patients with neuropathic pain find it strange how they have to use antiepileptic and antidepressant drugs to treat their pain, when they do not have epilepsy or depression? In fact, neuropathic pain is often the result of abnormal electrical activity of nerves, and these drugs are used to stabilize the nerve cell membranes and inhibit the abnormal electrical activity of nerves. Therefore, they can be applied to treat neuropathic pain with equally good results. Patients should learn more about and understand pain and its treatment and cooperate with doctors in treatment. Myth 4: The use of hormones is dangerous People now know little about the drug glucocorticoids, some do not use them at all, and some are cautious with them. Some pain patients are also often worried about the presence of hormones in their medication. In fact, hormones are good drugs for treating pain caused by acute and subacute soft tissue trauma and immune diseases, and the key is that the principles of use should be mastered. It is safe to administer small doses for a short period of time under the guidance of a doctor, and overlapping, large amounts and long-term use are contraindicated. Long-term application of hormones can lead to hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, peptic ulcers, muscle atrophy, etc., and is even more contraindicated in people who originally had the above-mentioned diseases. Therefore, glucocorticoids in pain treatment are a double-edged sword. Reasonable use is a good cure, while abuse brings damage to patients.