Pain Management Services

Our Cook Children's Pain Management Program consists of an Inpatient Pain Consultation Service and Outpatient Pain Management Clinic. In both settings, our pediatric pain team are specialized in the evaluation and treatment of a variety of pain conditions including acute post-operative pain, sickle cell disease, cancer, arthritis, cystic fibrosis, migraines and much more.

Our patients and families benefit from a multi-disciplinary and multi-modal approach to pain management. Our goal is to collaborate with you and your child to develop an individualized pain plan of care. Your child's treatment plan may include:

Medication Management
Interventional Pain Procedures
Aromatherapy
Medical Acupuncture / Acupressure
Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Guided Imagery
Biofeedback
Relaxation Therapy
Pet Therapy
Massage Therapy
Yoga Therapy
Lifestyle Modifications and Education

Inpatient Pain Consultation Service

Cook Children's Inpatient Pain Management Team is comprised of doctors, nurses, therapists and clinicians who are specially trained in treating infants, children and teens who are having surgery or a treatment at our medical center that requires additional pain management.

While many minimally invasive surgeries are virtually pain free or only require short-term pain relief, other more complex surgeries need more specialized pain care. In these cases, we work closely with your child's hospital team to determine the best plan of care to control or manage your child's pain. If rehabilitation therapy is part of your child's recovery, our pain management therapists will support and assess your child's functional ability and progress toward their pain management goals.

If your child is receiving treatment in the medical center for an illness such as cancer or juvenile arthritis, our pain specialists will work with your child's medical team to manage pain and side effects from treatment safely and effectively. Because many treatments can feel very stressful to a child, our goal is to reduce as much pain and anxiety as possible so your child feels more comfortable and relaxed.

For children who are hospitalized for a serious injury, expert pain management can be a critical part of their healing and recovery. From broken bones to head injuries to burns and more, you can trust that one the finest pain teams is caring for your child.

Because each child referred to us is different, you can expect that we will work with your child's entire health care team to create a plan that is unique to your child's needs. Your child's care includes:

Referral consultation
Individualized pain plan of care
Continual assessment of your child's pain
Modified pain plan of care as needed

Outpatient Pain Management Clinic

We see patients for chronic pain or recurrent pain in our Outpatient Pain Management Clinic. Chronic pain is a pain that has lasted longer than the expected time of normal healing and is generally present for three months or longer. Conditions that we treat in our clinic include but are not limited to chronic or recurrent headaches, back pain, chronic or recurrent abdominal pain, myofascial pain and neuropathic pain. It may be related to other chronic conditions like juvenile arthritis or hypermobility or less common conditions like complex regional pain syndrome. If your child is experiencing a chronic pain, you may have a referring physician send a referral for us to meet with you and your child for a new patient consultation. We accept referrals for patients up to 18 years of age. If the patient is 18 years old at time of a new patient appointment, the visit will be consultation only and your provider will discuss a transition plan to an adult provider.

Our outpatient team is made up of a pediatric board certified anesthesiologist specialized in pain management, a nationally certified counselor specialized in psychophysiology and physical therapists dedicated to the treatment of chronic pain. Depending on your insurance and demographic information, your initial visit may be with our entire team.

Our team is dedicated to gathering a thorough history and exam, discussing treatment options with you and your child and providing you with a tailored plan of care. This care plan may include:

Medication Management
Physical Therapy and/or Occupational Therapy
Pain-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Guided Imagery
Biofeedback
Relaxation Therapy
Lifestyle Modifications and Education
Aromatherapy
Massage Therapy
Yoga Therapy
Medical Acupuncture / Acupressure
Interventional Pain Procedures

Comfort Ability Program

Cook Children's Pain Management is the first children's hospital in Texas to partner with Boston Children's Hospital to offer the Comfort Ability Program workshop for our patients and caregivers. The Comfort Ability Program is a brief, cognitive behavioral therapy-focused intervention that teaches adolescents (ages 10-17 years old) and their parents/caregivers the evidence-based skills from psychology for chronic pain management. The workshops includes 12 hours of intervention (6 hours for patients and 6 hours for caregivers). It is administered as a one-day workshop for our pediatric patients with a variety of chronic pain conditions. This workshop allows us to widen our networking abilities to elevate care for our pediatric patients, increasing accessibility to chronic pain specific care. Visit thecomfortability.com for more information about the program and related resources.

For more info, contact: Matthew Reed, site coordinator, 682-885-4825.

Comfort Ability Program news

Inpatient Pain Rehabilitation Program

Children who struggle to improve or regain their function despite adequate outpatient services may benefit from our inpatient pain rehabilitation program. Our 2-week inpatient pain rehabilitation program uses a team approach to equip patients with the tools to manage and overcome their pain. Our team consists of a board certified anesthesiologist trained in pain management, a clinical therapist licensed in psychophysiology, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a nurse coordinator and additional health care team members. Patients participate in daily intensive physical and occupational therapy while engaging in clinical therapy sessions. Our goal is that this program will set the impetus towards further recovery and functionality.

"First off, I want to say how amazing my team in the program has been. I feel that the program is exactly what I needed to help me learn how to get back to a normal life. I felt the program is a success and I am only beginning to see the progress that I will make, which will be a great confidence booster. After being here for 2 weeks, I felt that coming to the program was a great decision, and a decision that I needed to make.

Now that I am toward the end of my admission, it is time to shift gears into my home life. Upon thinking about going home and returning back to a somewhat normal schedule, I am excited and am looking forward to going back home. I feel very ecstatic and pumped to get back home and be independent, doing the things, I want to do when I want to do them. Also, I feel that the greatest adjustment will be for the rest of my family, as they have been so used to helping me do everything. I look forward to waking up and walking downstairs to make my OWN breakfast by myself.

Last but not least, I cannot fathom the progress I have made whilst being in this program. From walking normally, to feel exponentially less pain, to going to the bathroom by myself, I feel that this program has been a complete success. I am so thankful that I was ready to come to the program, as I have felt the most improvement in my quality of life since getting injured 2 1/2 years ago. Not only have I made physical progress, my frame of mind and emotional progress have been outstanding. The emotional progress has helped me frame my thoughts and feelings in a productive way that will help me manage them. Overall, I feel the program has given me the road map and tools I need to have a successful recovery, and be able to manage my recovery process from a home setting. I wanted to thank everyone who has helped make this program so successful.– Luke, 15 years old

To determine eligibility for our inpatient pain rehabilitation program, patients should be referred to our Outpatient Pain Management Clinic for an initial consultation.

Integrative Medicine

Palliative Care

The goal of palliative care is to ensure the best quality of life for a child who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease or life-limiting condition. Our pain team will collaborate with palliative care and the rest of your child's medical team to help your child be as comfortable as possible.