Regional pain management service

Pain is both a physical sensation and an emotional reaction to actual or potential tissue damage. Our pain service aims to support your physical and emotional wellbeing and your participations with your family and community despite pain.  We are not a diagnostic service but offer support for people to adjust to living with a chronic pain condition for adults. 

We run outpatient appointments for a variety of chronic pain conditions, including:

• musculoskeletal pains -  back pain, myofascial pain syndromes
• pain caused by an injury to the sensory system (neuropathic pain)
• functional pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia or irritable bowel syndrome
• complex regional pain syndrome - both types 1 and 2
• pain caused by amputation, including phantom limb pain, stump pain, and phantom limb sensation
• headaches
• pain in the mouth, jaws and face (orofacial pain), including trigeminal neuralgia
• nerve pain experienced after shingles (post herpetic neuralgias)
• abdominal pain
• pelvic pain including endometriosis related pain
• pain in pregnancy
• chronic opiate use  (prescribed for pain)
• cancer pain, in conjunction with the Palliative Care Service

Useful resources

Pain management techniques
(audio files)

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation
• Visualisation 
• Autogenic 
• Imagine a blanket

Managing chronic pain

Coeliac Plexus Block

Epidural Steroid Injection - Patient Information

Facet Joint Injection - Patient Information

Interventional Clinic

Pre-procedure Pain Management (Injections) - Patient Information

Pre-procedure Pain Management (Intravenous Infusion) - Patient Information

Stellate Ganglion Nerve Block

Sympathetic Nerve Blocks - Patient Information

You need to be referred to our service by your GP, specialist,  or other health professional. You may also be referred by the acute pain team at Wellington Regional Hospital.

After receiving your referral we will contact you and email you a link to fill pain specific information.  This alongside your referral will be prioritised so that those in most urgent need are seen first. Based on your condition, you will be reviewed by doctor only, or a team of health professionals.  You will receive an appointment letter with details of your assessment.

If your pain condition is due to an accident, we contact ACC who can support the most appropriate Pain Service.  This may be a Community Pain Service or our service.   

A variety of health professionals work together on your care. During your visit you may meet:

• Doctors - Medical specialists trained at medications or injections used for chronic pain conditions.  They also have a background in Anaesthetics or Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychologists- who help when pain has affected your mood as this can make it harder to cope with pain. 
• Occupational Therapists – who support you to take part in social and vocational activities
• Physiotherapists – who support you to take part in physical rehabilitation and activities.
• Specialist Nurses – who help with injections and support changes in your medication regimen.

The service is based at Wellington Regional Hospital, and we run clinics at Wellington Regional, Kenepuru Community, and Hutt Hospitals.

Ph 04 385 5344

Email: painmanagement@ccdhb.org.nz