Pain Clinic in Sharjah
Medically reviewed by Dar Al Kamal Team
What is a pain clinic?
A pain clinic is a clinic appointment, and later a series of follow-ups, dedicated to pain that has become a problem in its own right. Pain that lasts three months or longer is called chronic pain, and by that stage the nervous system itself has often become more sensitive, so the pain can persist after the original injury has healed. A pain clinic treats that pain as a condition to be managed over time.
At Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah, the pain clinic is run by the anaesthesia team: anaesthesiologists, who are doctors trained in how pain signals travel and how to interrupt them. The clinic sits alongside two inpatient services. The acute pain service looks after severe pain during a hospital stay, and post-operative pain management covers the days after an operation. The pain clinic picks up where those finish, and it also sees people whose pain began long before any hospital visit.
The aim is a plan you can live with: better sleep, more movement, a return to work and family life, and pain medicines that help more than they burden you.
Who needs it
People are usually referred to the pain clinic by their own doctor or by another specialist, and some book directly. Common reasons include:
- Long-standing back or neck pain, often after a spine assessment such as a chronic back pain assessment
- Nerve pain: burning, shooting or electric pain, for example after shingles, from diabetes or from a trapped nerve
- Joint pain from arthritis where surgery is on hold or unsuitable for now
- Pain that has lasted beyond the usual healing time after surgery or an injury
- Headache and facial pain patterns that keep returning
- People already taking strong painkillers for months who want a review
- Patients with chronic pain who are about to have an operation
That last group benefits from a visit before surgery. Someone who already takes regular pain medicine responds differently to post-operative pain relief, and planning ahead with the anaesthesiologist keeps them comfortable afterwards. The anaesthesia consultation page covers pre-operative visits in general.
What happens
A long first conversation. The anaesthesiologist asks where the pain is, what it feels like, what makes it better or worse, how it affects sleep, mood and work, and what has already been tried. The words you use matter: burning or shooting pain points towards the nerves, while aching that worsens with movement points towards joints or muscles. Each type responds to different treatment.
An examination and a review of your scans. Earlier MRI or X-ray reports are read alongside your symptoms. Further tests are arranged only where they would change the plan.
A multimodal plan. Several approaches that work in different ways are combined, so each can be used at a gentler level. A plan may include:
| Part of the plan | What it does |
|---|---|
| A medicine review | Simplifies what you take and matches each medicine to the type of pain |
| Nerve pain medicines | Some medicines first developed for other conditions calm overactive nerves, often at lower doses than their original use |
| Targeted injections | A nerve block or joint injection to quieten a specific pain source, sometimes as a test of where pain comes from |
| Movement | A graded exercise programme through the physiotherapy department |
| Sleep and mood | Support for the poor sleep, low mood and worry that feed long-term pain, with psychiatry input where helpful |
Referral as part of the plan. When the assessment points to a structural cause that surgery could address, the clinic refers you to neurosurgery or orthopaedics, and the pain plan continues alongside that care.
Preparing for it
Bring a full list of your medicines, including anything bought over the counter and the doses you actually take. Bring earlier scan reports, clinic letters and any record of injections you have had.
A simple pain diary for one or two weeks beforehand is very useful: score the pain each morning and evening, and note sleep, activity and which medicines you took. Think about two or three things pain currently stops you doing, because those become the goals of your plan. If you fast during Ramadan, mention it, since medicine timing can be arranged around suhoor and iftar.
Afterwards
Follow-up visits check progress against your goals and adjust the plan in small steps. Long-term pain usually improves gradually, and changes are made one at a time so the effect of each is clear. Keep your pain diary going between visits and bring it each time.
After an injection, rest the area for the remainder of the day and arrange for someone to drive you home. Some people find the Sharjah heat worsens nerve pain or fatigue, so plan activity for cooler hours. The plan also sets out how your medicines will be adjusted over time, including any gradual reduction of strong painkillers.
Contact the hospital if pain changes suddenly in character, if you develop a fever with new back pain, or if an injection site becomes red, hot or swollen. Go to the emergency department straight away with new weakness in a leg, numbness around the buttocks or genitals, or loss of bladder or bowel control.
Cost and insurance
Most UAE insurance plans cover pain clinic consultations when referred or medically indicated. Injections and nerve blocks usually need pre-approval, supported by the clinic's assessment and a record of treatment already tried, and some plans limit the number of physiotherapy sessions or repeat injections per year. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you confirm your cover on 06 599 7777.
Related services
Frequently asked questions
What are the risks of pain clinic treatment?
Pain clinic treatments carry risks that depend on the treatment chosen. Medicines can cause drowsiness, constipation, dizziness or dependence, and injections carry a small risk of infection, bleeding, temporary numbness or a flare of pain for a few days. The anaesthesiologist explains the risks of each option for you before you agree to it.
Will the pain clinic take my pain away completely?
Complete removal of long-standing pain is often unrealistic, and a pain clinic aims instead to reduce pain and improve daily life, sleep and function. Many people find a meaningful improvement in what they can do even when some pain remains.
Do I need a referral to see the pain clinic?
A referral is helpful but many insurance plans allow you to book directly. A referral letter from your own doctor gives the anaesthesiologist useful background, and some insurers require one before they approve injections.
Can long-term strong painkillers make pain worse?
Long-term use of strong opioid painkillers can, in some people, increase sensitivity to pain and bring side effects that outweigh their benefit. A pain clinic reviews these medicines carefully and plans any reduction gradually; never stop them suddenly on your own.
Why would a pain doctor prescribe an antidepressant or an epilepsy medicine?
Some medicines first developed for depression or epilepsy calm overactive pain nerves and are a standard treatment for nerve pain. Being offered one does not mean the doctor thinks the pain is imagined or that you are depressed.
Is an injection a permanent fix?
An injection is rarely a permanent fix for chronic pain, and its effect varies from person to person. Its value is often in easing pain enough for exercise and physiotherapy to work, or in showing which structure the pain comes from.
My scans are normal. Is my pain real?
Chronic pain is real even when scans look normal, because it often comes from how the nerves and brain process signals rather than from visible damage. A pain clinic treats the pain you experience, whatever the scan shows.
Does insurance cover the pain clinic?
Most UAE insurance plans cover pain clinic consultations, while injections usually need pre-approval and physiotherapy may have a session limit. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help check your cover on 06 599 7777.
Departments
Book an appointment
Tell us your preferred day and time. Our team calls you back to confirm.