At PainFreezeMD, we do not prescribe chronic opioid therapy.
Opioid medications can play an important role in the treatment of acute pain, such as pain following surgery, major trauma, severe burns, or other serious injuries. In these settings, opioids can provide effective short-term pain relief while the body heals.
Chronic pain is different.
Decades of research have shown that long-term opioid therapy often provides limited benefit for chronic pain while exposing patients to significant risks. Over time, the body develops tolerance, meaning higher doses may be required to achieve the same effect. Patients can also develop physical dependence, where stopping or reducing the medication can trigger withdrawal symptoms—including increased pain (opioid withdrawal hyperalgesia). In some individuals, opioids may actually increase sensitivity to pain (opioid-induced hyperalgesia).
Long-term opioid use has also been associated with a variety of adverse health effects, including:
Physical dependence and addiction
Hormonal and endocrine dysfunction (low testosterone, sexual dysfunction, infertility)
Depression, anxiety, and impaired quality of life
Sleep disruption and sleep-disordered breathing
Constipation and gastrointestinal dysfunction
Impaired immune function
Increased risk of overdose and death
As physicians, we are guided by the principle of "First, do no harm." For that reason, Dr. Norton has dedicated his training and practice to evidence-based, non-opioid pain management. Rather than masking symptoms with medications that often lose effectiveness — and often create new problems — over time, our goal is to identify and treat the source of pain whenever possible.
PainFreezeMD offers a comprehensive range of non-opioid, minimally invasive, image-guided treatments, including cryoneurolysis, image-guided nerve blocks, pulsed radiofrequency, regenerative medicine, neuromodulation, and other advanced interventional techniques designed to reduce pain, improve function, and restore quality of life.
Our vision extends beyond treating chronic pain—we also strive to prevent it. We are actively working to integrate preoperative cryoneurolysis into surgical care with the goal of reducing postoperative pain, helping to prevent the development of chronic postsurgical pain, minimizing the need for opioid medications, and lowering the risk of persistent opioid use after surgery. By intervening before pain becomes established, we aim to improve recovery while reducing some of the most significant long-term complications associated with surgical care.
Our mission is simple: to help patients achieve meaningful pain relief while minimizing the risks of medication dependence and long-term harm.
If you are seeking chronic opioid therapy, there are physicians in the region who provide that service. If you are seeking a comprehensive, non-opioid approach to pain management, we invite you to schedule a consultation to determine whether PainFreezeMD is the right fit for your goals.
