This is not to deny that some clinics are attempts to offer a professional service to those in genuine need. But such beacons of light are few and far between. How do we know this? Because there is an explosion in the number of pain clinics opening across America. In some areas, the local government is trying to control the problem. At least, there are political calls for the profession to rein in these fast prescription services. At best, there are local bans on the approval of new clinics. Sadly, the lobbying power of the medical profession means there are very few state-wide limits either on the establishment of clinics or on the practice of writing prescriptions for hundreds of pills at a time. Some local politicians are proposing ordinances to prohibit clinics from prescribing pain medication except in emergency situations and then only offering a 72-hour refill, expecting the individuals to return to their regular doctors for proper care. Their chances of being able to control the problem are slim without the support of state governments and the medical profession.

This is a tragic situation. There is a real need for professional pain management services at both a local and county level. Unfortunately, the medical profession is exploiting the public and feeding their growing addiction to pain medications. People, being practical, take pain relief in whatever form is available. If that means endless supplies of drugs, they take it. The best practice standards in other countries with public healthcare services does provide mixed teams of pain management specialists who focus on training people to cope using only low level painkillers. For example, they are allowed to buy tramadol. Because the higher labor costs are absorbed by the taxpayers, a significantly better service results. Because tramadol is not habit-forming to the same degree as more powerful drugs, this is a safer system for pain management.

We start with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These are for less serious problems and have two effects: the reduction of pain and of inflammation. Because they are not addictive, they are usually available over-the-counter in a variety of different formats, e,g, as tablets, liquids, topical creams, sprays, and so on. But, if the degree of pain is in the range of moderate to severe, a stronger analgesic is required. Although the injury or damage to the muscles will heal so long as you rest and stay reasonably still, a more powerful painkiller helps to keep you comfortable. However, one word of warning is appropriate. Just because a painkiller is effective does not mean you can immediate resume mobility. All the drug does is to stop the pain message reaching your brain. It does not heal the injury. You have to wait for nature to take its course. Except, of course, gentle physical therapy and the use of heat and ice packs can speed the process. If the ligament or tendon is torn, surgery may be required. Effective medical intervention to treat the underlying cause of the pain is always required. Because muscle pain can be associated with anxiety, stress-related and depressive disorders, it is often appropriate to prescribe the relevant drugs to control the anxiety, relieve the stress and reduce the depression. You should not feel ashamed that the muscles may be a symptom of a mental disorder. The more important emotion is confidence the treatment will be effective to relieve the pain.

Finally, we come the the different classes of drugs used to control seizures and convulsions, and to relax muscles. Ignoring the muscle pain that can follow a seizure, we are now in the world of barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and so on which act on the central nervous system. Because they depress the nervous system, they inevitably relax muscles but, because of their side effects, it is not always wise to take them unless the threat of seizures is great. Drugs like skelaxin are not used in the treatment of seizures as such although their sedative effect is to relax the major groups of muscles. Skelaxin is used in combination with a combination of rest, physical therapy and other treatments designed to treat the underlying physical muscular disorder. Depending on the precise medical problem, it may be combined with any of the classes of drugs mentioned earlier in the article.