Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) can develop suddenly and last for years. It is characterized by intense fatigue, and its symptoms can worsen with mental or physical activity. While it is commonly experienced by middle-aged people, CFS affects individuals of all ages, including children. The symptoms of CFS often resemble other medical conditions. Those symptoms can include fatigue, headaches, muscle and joint pain, mood swings, forgetfulness, insomnia, inability to concentrate, depression, sensitivity to light, low-grade fevers, confusion, and forgetfulness.

Typically, the condition is diagnosed if chronic fatigue lasts for more than six months, the patient shows at least four symptoms, and other conditions have been ruled out. The cause of CFS is unknown. There is no cure for CFS, but treatment can relieve symptoms. 

Our Team

An experienced, interdisciplinary care team works with each patient and family to manage a child's pain by promoting healthy daily functioning and pain coping skills using an interdisciplinary rehabilitation model. Our team includes:

  • Pediatric pain fellowship-trained physician
  • Child psychiatrists
  • Pediatricians
  • Pediatric rehabilitation physicians
  • Pediatric psychologists/cognitive behavioral therapists
  • Physical therapists
  • Neuropsychologists
  • Occupational therapists
  • Social workers
  • Care coordinators
  • Case managers
  • Educators
  • Child life specialists
  • Nurses/nurse practitioners
  • Therapeutic recreation specialists

Our Treatment Approach

We offer a multimodal approach to pain management that includes:

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy  (e.g. deep controlled diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, interactive distraction, guided visual imagery, cognitive restructuring, biofeedback, mindfulness, meditation)
  • Physical Therapy (functional, manual and visceral therapies, heat/cold)
  • Occupational therapy (activities of daily living)
  • Non-narcotic pain medications
  • Interventional pain procedures under sedation
  • Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
  • Other novel and emerging treatment modalities for pain management

As one of the few hospitals in the country to offer interventional pain services for children guided by imaging in an operating room, we offer the following procedures:

  • Epidural steroid injections
  • Facet joint injections
  • Sacroiliac joint injections
  • Piriformis injections
  • Muscle and joint injections
  • Occipital nerve blocks
  • Abdominal blocks (e.g., transverse abdominis plane [TAP] and rectus sheath blocks)
  • Intercostal nerve blocks
  • Sternum injections
  • Bursa injections
  • Scar injections
  • Peripheral nerve blocks
  • Trigger point injections