Comprehensive Pain Care
Find Your Condition
Pain can affect many parts of the body and can have more than one cause. Explore conditions treated by our team.
Our Services
We offer treatments and specialized programs to support people living with pain.
Our Approach to Pain Care
The Stanford Pain Management Center provides team-based care for people living with chronic pain. Our team includes physicians, pain psychologists, and physical therapists who work together to help you understand and manage your pain.
Because we are part of Stanford Medicine, an academic medical center, our clinicians are also researchers and educators. This means our care is guided by the latest scientific understanding of pain and by treatments that have been carefully studied.
Your care is coordinated across our team. Instead of seeing different providers who may not communicate with each other, your clinicians can work together to build a treatment plan that fits your needs. Our goal is to make your care consistent, thoughtful, and connected.
Pain is complex. Your body, your thoughts and emotions, and your daily life can all affect how pain feels. For this reason, we practice whole-person care, sometimes called the biopsychosocial model of pain.
Biological factors
Your body, nerves, muscles, or injuries
Psychological factors
Stress, emotions, sleep, and coping
Social factors
Work, family, support systems, and daily life
Because everyone’s pain experience is different, we take an individualized approach to care.
The “Four Legs of the Stool”
One way to think about pain treatment is a four-legged stool. Each leg represents a different part of pain care:
- Medical treatments and procedures
- Physical therapy and meaningful movement
- Psychological or behavioral support
- Lifestyle strategies and self-management
If a stool has only one leg, it cannot stand. It needs support from all sides. Pain care works the same way. The strongest treatment plans bring together multiple approaches.
Because these services exist within one center, our team can coordinate care across these different areas. Our clinicians recommend treatments based on evidence and what may help you most, with the goal of improving your function, well-being, and quality of life.
Pain Science Lecture Series
Join our free community lecture series to learn from Stanford experts about pain, treatment options, and emerging research. These virtual lectures are open to patients, families, caregivers, clinicians, and anyone interested in learning more about pain.
Ready to Get Started?
Learn how to schedule an appointment, prepare for your visit, and find helpful information before coming to Stanford.