Conditions Treated
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Our specially trained physicians offer customized care plans, effective treatments and pain management for all types of pain. Call
to connect with a doctor who specializes in pain medicine.Conditions Associated with Chronic Pain
At the UCLA Comprehensive Pain Centers, our physician anesthesiologists who specialize in pain medicine are experts in diagnosing and treating the full range of conditions that cause pain. Acute pain may result from an injury that occurs at work, while playing sports, or in an accident. It may also occur after a surgical procedure, or from a flare-up of a medical condition such as arthritis. If the pain doesn’t lessen after the usual recovery period, or continues for a prolonged time and interferes with quality of life, then it is considered chronic pain.
Depression, insomnia, interruption of personal relationships, loss of employment, and dependence on narcotics are just some of the harmful effects that may be caused by chronic pain. For these reasons, chronic pain is considered a serious medical condition that can and should be treated by physician-led care teams specializing in pain medicine. We offer treatment for all the conditions listed below.
In this section:
Back and Neck Pain

Back and neck pain are among the most common reasons for consultation with a physician who specializes in pain medicine. Pain may occur anywhere along the spine: the cervical spine in the neck, the thoracic spine in the mid-back, the lumbar spine in the lower back, or in the sacrum or coccyx at the lowest part of the back. Pain may result from different problems, including:
- Arthritis
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- Cervical dystonia (torticollis)
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- (tailbone pain) (video)
- Disc herniation/bulging disc
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- Osteoporosis
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- Sciatica
- Scoliosis
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- Spinal stenosis
- Spinal tumor
- Vertebral compression fracture
Dr. George Pan explains why surgery is sometimes needed for back pain in

Pain in the Joints
Pain in the joints, including the hips, knees, shoulders, or ankles, may be due to a variety of conditions or injuries:
- Arthritis
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- Bursitis
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Rotator cuff injury
Pain After Surgery
Watch post-laminectomy video
Typically, pain after surgery will resolve in a few days to weeks. Sometimes, pain doesn’t go away or even becomes worse in the weeks to months following surgery. These postoperative pain syndromes may develop after a variety of different operations, including:
- Amputation ( )
- Fracture surgery to repair a broken bone
- Hernia repair
- Surgery on the abdomen
- Total knee joint replacement
- Thoracotomy (chest surgery)
Nerve-related Pain
The nervous system itself can be the source of pain. The term for pain associated with specific nerves is “neuralgia”. The term “neuropathy” refers to a type of damage to the nervous system, which may be associated with diseases such as diabetes, or with medications used for cancer chemotherapy. Conditions with nerve-related pain include:
- Brachial plexus injury
- Complex regional pain syndrome, also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy
- Diabetic neuropathy
- Peripheral neuropathy
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Dr. Parisa Sadoughi explains more about complex regional pain syndrome in
.Other Painful Conditions
Watch myofascial pain video
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- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches
- Muscle strain
- Spasticity