The Wellington Hospital Pain Medicine Unit: Pain management clinics and treatment in London

The Pain Medicine Unit at The Wellington Hospital is a special resource for when your quality of life is compromised by pain.  This pain management clinic uses a wide range of treatments to provide the best possible pain medicine to improve your physical, psychological and social functioning and works closely with the Wellington Rehabilitation Unit.

The Wellington Hospital, based in St John’s Wood, North London, is the largest independent hospital in the United Kingdom. It has an international reputation for outstanding care in all areas of medicine including cardiac services, neurosurgery, liver and HPB medicine, rehabilitation, gynaecology, orthopaedics and many others.

Their medical teams are led by consultants at the top of their profession and are supported by the very latest medical technology including the most advanced diagnostic imaging equipment available today.

The pain medicine consultants who work within the Wellington Hospital are all senior consultants who are at the top of their profession and most of whom hold senior positions in London’s renowned teaching hospitals.

Using the latest in clinical and diagnostic procedures, a Pain Medicine Consultant will review your previous treatment, conduct a physical examination and provide a thorough evaluation of your pain condition. Then you and your physician, who will remain with you throughout the course of your care, will develop a comprehensive, individualised treatment plan.

Technologically advanced imaging and diagnostics department

The Pain Medicine Unit at The Wellington Hospital is supported by appropriately furbished day case and in-patient areas and access to the most up to date theatre equipment in the country. Treatment is tailored to the needs of the individual patient and a full range of surgical procedures are available. Some procedures can take place on a day case basis, but some require overnight stay on an in-patient basis.

The Wellington Hospital is fortunate in having one of the most modern and technologically advanced imaging and diagnostics departments in the UK independent sector. A team of specialist consultant radiologists and radiographers are on hand to support patients and their pain medicine consultants.

The services offered include:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
• Computer tomography (CT) scans
• 3D fluoroscopy and interventional procedures
• Ultrasound

What is pain?

Pain is individual to the patient and the best judge of the intensity of the pain is the patient. Pain can be classified as:

• Acute pain

• Chronic pain

• Neuropathic Pain

• Mechanical pain

• Inflammatory and chemical pain

• Somatic pain

• Visceral pain

• Ischaemic pain

Back and neck pain

Almost all conditions that can affect your back can also affect your neck. Back pain is an enormous problem both to individuals and to society. One of the major concerns with acute back pain injuries is the prevention of the injury becoming a long term one, with all the individual, social and healthcare costs that chronic conditions incur.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is the term used to describe pain and swelling in one part of the body. CRPS usually affects the hands, feet, elbows or knees, but can affect any part of the body.

Trigger points

Trigger points are described as hyper irritable spots in muscle that are associated with knots in tight bands of muscle fibres that you can feel. These knots can be common cause of pain. If you press down on a trigger point this may cause pain at the site or may cause pain somewhere else (referred pain).

Treatments provided

Assessing and disgnosing pain

• Your Pain Medicine Consultant will take a detailed history of any problems you may have had with your health throughout your life, and may ask about any health problems that your immediate family may have had

• Your Pain Medicine Consultant will look at and explore the painful area, asking about the pain as they examine the area. They may perform a neurological examination, asking you about the sensations you may feel, but also checking your reflexes, strength and range of movement both in the painful area, and in the rest of your body.

• Depending on the findings of the examination your doctor may think it is necessary for you to have an X-ray, MRI or CT scan. The doctor may also request that you have some blood tests performed, in order to get a better picture of your health and pain problem.

• You may also be asked to have a diagnostic procedure, for example, a local anaesthetic facet joint injection, to see if your back pain is in fact caused by the facet joint.

• Your individualised treatment plan will be a product of the results of this very detailed examination.

Interventional procedures

• Trigger Point Injection

• Nerve Root Blocks

• Facet Joint Injection

• Lumbar Epidural Injection

• Cervical Epidural Injection

• Radiofrequency facet joint denervation

• Suprascapular nerve block

• Guanethidine blocks

• Epidural Injections

• Intrathecal Injections

Other procedures

• TENS - Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
• Acupuncture
• Functional Restoration Programme
• Painkillers - Analgesics
• Exercise
• Pilates

Care and comfort

Patients enjoy luxury accommodation together with a warm and friendly service from all of their staff and a range of facilities that have been designed to ensure a calm and comforting stay.

They strive to ensure that every patient is cared for as an individual and is treated with compassion and kindness. They act with honesty, integrity and fairness in the way they conduct their duties and in their personal behaviour.

The hospital also has an extensive range of inter-related specialist resources available in house to provide a total support service. The Wellington also has two Intensive Care Units and highly trained Emergency Support Teams providing fast and specialist support when necessary.

Contact details

The Pain Medicine Unit

The Wellington Hospital
Wellington Place
St. Johns Wood
London NW8 9LE

You can contact the unit direct on:

Tel:  020 7586 2462
Fax: 020 7586 2462

Or the Wellington Hospital Enquiry Helpline:  020 7483 5148

Email: Wellington.enquiryhelpline@hcahealthcare.co.uk

Web: www.thewellingtongiunit.com

         www.thewellingtonhospital.com

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