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General Questions
Is inpatient treatment an option for you?
The Pain Centre Nottwil is is geared to the outpatient treatment of pain patients. Inpatient facilities are only available for implantation of pump systems or spinal-cord stimulators.
How quickly can I obtain an appointment for an outpatient examination?
We do our best to give every patient an appointment for the first consultation as soon as possible. Nevertheless, sometimes a wait of several weeks cannot be avoided. For certain painful conditions (acute shingles, postherpetic neuralgia that is less than 3 months old, causalgia that is present for not more than 3 months, tumour pain) the referring physician can arrange an earlier appointment by telephone.
How can I obtain an appointment?
You can directly conact the Centre for Pain Medicine in Nottwil. In this case, it is essential that you send us any important medical documents (reports, X-ray films, etc.) before your appointment.
It is usually preferable to have your managing physician refer you to our Centre, as he or she can send us any necessary documents as well as a summary of your clinical course, any prior therapies and medications, and the results of treatment.
How long will the initial outpatient examination last?
We reserve a time block of two hours for the first consultation. We try to stay on schedule; however, sometimes short waiting periods cannot be avoided.
Will the cost be covered by my health insurance?
The costs of outpatient treatment in our Centre are covered by all health insurance companies provided that you have at least basic coverage. Supplementary coverage for treatment by our physicians is not necessary.
If your insurance provider is a HMO or GP model, you must be referred by the appropriate physician. If you are only insured in your canton of residence and not in the canton Luzern, the costs of inpatient treatment may not be covered.
Questions Related to Pain Therapy
Do you offer holistic treatments?
Our Centre for Pain Medicine offers a broad, comprehensive spectrum of treatments that ranges from noninvasive methods such as acupuncture, hypnosis, transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS), chiropractic therapy, extracorporeal shock-wave therapy (ESWT), and optimising medications to minimally invasive methods such as nerve blocks, treatment of neural structures with radiofrequency, placement of spinal and epidural catheters, and more invasive measures such as implantation of pumps and spinal-cord stimulators. Our Centre works in close collaboration with other departments of the Swiss Paraplegic Centre, including discussion of complex problems in a weekly interdisciplinary pain conference, which facilitates optimal management.
Do you use strong drugs such as morphine to treat pain?
The so-called highly potent analgesic drugs, of which morphine is one example, are sometimes prescribed in our Centre. In the discussion following your examination, the physicians will tell you whether they think one of these drugs is appropriate and necessary in your case.
Is there really such a thing as medication-induced headaches?
Yes, this type of headache actually does exist. They occur when patients with migraines or tension headaches regularly take pain-killers, usually those containing more than one component (particularly caffeine and codeine). When a patient has headaches for at least 10 hours on more than 20 days per month and regularly takes medication for them (even one dose per day can be sufficient), the diagnosis “medication-induced headache” must be considered.
