FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Westminster, Md. – Carroll Hospital Center has opened one of the region’s most specialized facilities for treating chronic pain. The new pain management center, located within the Richard N. Dixon Ambulatory Surgery Center, offers comprehensive evaluation and treatment of varying types of chronic pain, all under one roof, and in a supportive environment. The types of pain treated at the center include back pain, headache and neck pain, muscle pain, chronic regional pain syndrome (also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy or RSD) and pain related to nerve damage, arthritis, cancer and other chronic diseases. The pain center takes an interventional approach to treating patients’ pain, offering many of the most advanced therapies currently available. They include treatment with nerve block injections, radiofrequency ablation, disc decompression, spinal cord stimulation and implantable drug delivery systems. “Although new to many patients, these therapies often provide significant functional improvement and longer lasting relief than traditional treatments, such as oral medication and other physical methods of therapy,” said Vajira Gunawardane, M.D., medical director of Carroll Hospital Center’s pain management center. “Most people do not have to suffer with chronic pain. Our goal is to identify the source of pain and treat it aggressively so that patients can become functional again and live a more normal life.” Gunawardane is board certified in both anesthesiology and pain management and brings extensive knowledge and expertise in the treatment of chronic pain. He completed his anesthesiology residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and a pain management fellowship at University of Maryland Medical Center. Before joining Carroll Hospital Center, he was an assistant professor at University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he trained physicians in pain management. Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than six months. It can occur in a variety of forms and often leads to anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance and a loss of independence. Currently, there are nearly 50 million Americans dealing with chronic pain, and four in 10 people with moderate-to-severe pain cannot find adequate relief, according the American Pain Society. Along with Gunawardane, the pain center staff includes nurse practitioner Doreen Paynter, and incorporates the expertise of specialists in physical therapy, behavioral health and neurology, among others. The center also is equipped with the latest image-guided technology, called a C-Arm, which enables pinpoint placement of injections and implantable devices, thus reducing the risk of complications and increasing patient comfort. “Because chronic pain can affect every part of a person’s life, we offer a team approach to patient care that improves the effectiveness of pain treatment, and in a timely manner,” Gunawardane said. When patients are referred to the pain center by their primary physician, they receive a thorough evaluation and an individualized treatment plan is developed for each patient. The treatment plan may include a single approach or a combination of therapies. “We may not be able to completely eliminate their pain, but techniques are available that actually help them feel and function better,” said Gunawardane. For more information about the pain management center at Carroll Hospital Center, or to schedule an appointment, please call 410-871-6191. Founded in 1961 as Carroll County General Hospital, Carroll Hospital Center is a nonprofit, acute care facility offering a continuum of services, including comprehensive inpatient, outpatient and community programs.