Toronto Poly Clinic

Medical Cannabis Opioid Reduction Program (MCORP)

Toronto Poly Clinic is a pain clinic with responsibility in mind. We believe in a Multi-disciplinary philosophy of pain management. We specialize in Chronic Pain and its effects on the human body. Our goal is to formulate a treatment plan to bring lasting relief to our patients. The purpose of this multidisciplinary program is to improve both the physical and psychological effects of pain.

A broad view of human health and diseases from different specialties is needed to understand the whole person and their suffering. A prominent Persian poet-philosopher named Rumi once described a story about an elephant in a dark room. No one could see in darkness yet they tried to describe the shape of the elephant by touching and describing what they felt.

Every person would come across this big mystery from their own angle, one would think this animal looks like a pillar because they felt the elephant’s legs, the other would think it looks like a fan by feeling the elephant’s ears. No one had the whole picture so the real picture was not found. We can use the same analogy in Chronic Pain. This problem has many shapes and ways to affect a person’s life. Unless we look at this problem from different angles and specialties by sharing the information to find the big picture, it would be impossible to understand this master of human’s life which is worse than death itself, as once the German physician Albert Schweitzer has described when he won the peace noble prize for helping patients in Africa.

Only with a multi-disciplinary approach, we can get closer to correct diagnosis and treatment of Chronic Pain. Physical, Psychological, Medical and even alternative medicine science can be used for diagnosis and treatment of Chronic Pain.

Once we combine these sciences and their treatment modalities, we may be able to help pain patients better. Toronto Poly Clinic with two branches in Toronto and Thornhill is providing multidisciplinary pain management to pain patients.

The following is a description of what happens when you are referred to us by your doctor!

• • Paying attention to what you have to say. You will be seen first by a medical doctor who is board certified in pain practice. The interview consists of going over your complaints, your pain history along with the rest of your medical history, going over the diagnostic tests you have undergone so far, reviewing your diagnosis and the treatments you have had so far. There might be new tests needed and new consultations to be made. The pain practitioner will make sure you are heard well, examined well and that your tests and diagnosis are up to date. Then based on the given information and examination, your proper diagnosis is verified and a plan for treatment is arranged.

• • Medication therapy: Our pain practitioner will review your current medication, and prescribe the appropriate medication for your pain syndrome. This medication will be gradually adjusted to your needs based, on the effects and side effects.

• • Physical therapy: There are many active and passive modalities presented in our clinic. A doctor of Chiropractic specializing in pain will evaluate your physical condition, the treatments you have had in the past, and provide you with a customized active or passive rehabilitation plan. Among the treatments provided in our rehabilitation department are Low Level Laser, Pulsed Magnetic Field Therapy, Ultrasound, Electrical Stimulation, Heat and Cold Treatments and Acupuncture both conventional and laser guided.

• • Psychological evaluation and therapy, in individual and group settings, are provided by a doctor of Psychology to address the psychological aspect of your pain syndrome. Pain can affect your mood, thought, sleep and energy, which can all damage your life significantly. We will deal with all of these problems.

• • Injection therapy: Nerve Block Therapy, Ganglion Blocks, Trigger Point injections, Botox injections, Epidural Steroid Injections, Ligament strengthening or Prolotherapy are among the group of injection treatments we use for pain management. The idea is to reduce and interrupt the constant pain message being sent to the brain. This constant pain message going to the brain through thousands of open gates, which normally would be closed, is the basis of chronic pain. We try to reverse this process of chronic pain by the use of injections.

• • Coping skills, pain management education and life style adjustments, nutritional consultations and alternative medicine, homeopathy and naturopathy consultations are available for appropriate use.