7 Benefits of Seeing a Pain Management Doctor

The human body is a miraculous thing capable of doing so much. But what happens when we experience pain? It can drastically affect our day-to-day life. The CDC estimates that about 20 percent of adults, about 50.2 million people, experience chronic pain every day. 

If persistent chronic pain is affecting your daily life, you don't have to suffer needlessly. A pain management doctor can help diagnose and treat the pain. If you're wondering how a pain management doctor can help you, read on to find out about the 7 Benefits of Seeing a Pain Management Doctor.

What Is a Pain Management Doctor?

A pain management doctor is a specialist trained to handle cases of chronic pain. They evaluate, diagnose, and treat the pain through a number of different methods depending on the type of pain and the severity of the case. They have received extra training in order to understand the best ways to treat pain.

They can perform several specialized procedures in an outpatient surgery center, including epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, trigger point joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation, and neuromodulation. 

Here are 7 benefits of seeing a pain management doctor:

1. Receive a Diagnosis

The first and most important step is to get a diagnosis. This may require a full physical exam and evaluation of your medical records and any tests or diagnostic imaging you may have had done. A pain management doctor may also require further in-depth body imaging, such as an MRI or CT scan, to pinpoint the problem area and better understand what is causing the pain.

2. Get a Comprehensive Care Plan

After your pain management doctor has had a chance to evaluate your whole medical history and diagnostic imaging records, they can develop a comprehensive care plan to address the overall issues of your pain concerns.

This plan takes into account all of your information, as well as your family medical history, for any genetic conditions that could be an underlying cause. Your pain management doctor can prescribe medications to help manage pain and perform the appropriate treatments based on the findings in the reports.      

3. Find the Cause

Don't just mask the symptoms anymore with drugs. Pain pills are a temporary solution that can lead to long-term problems down the road and don't treat the actual root of the pain. They can be used for a short time to ease the discomfort, but a pain management doctor wants to manage your pain in the best way possible so that you can be pain-free.

4. Learn How to Manage Your Pain

If your pain is the result of a degenerative condition like Arthritis, find out the ways you can better manage these conditions. Additional treatments may include physical therapy, steroid injections, learning stretches, mobility exercises, anti-inflammatories, diet changes, meditation, yoga, acupuncture, and even chiropractic care. 

5. Regain Mobility

With the assistance of the pain management doctor, it may be possible to regain some or all of your mobility again. To not be in pain is every chronic pain patient's wish and every pain management doctor's goal. This can be achieved when you and your pain management doctor team up to find the right solutions for managing pain issues. 

6. Prevent Injury in the Future

If your pain is the result of a sports injury, accident, fall, or lifting too much weight, your pain management doctor will help educate you on strengthening exercises you can do to reinforce the area of injury and protect it from future injury. Pain management doctors can also give you tips and tricks for how to properly lift heavy items or reduce the amount you carry. 

7. Get Your Life Back

The most important reason to see a pain management doctor is to get back your quality of life. The way you lived and felt before chronic pain became a deciding factor in your life for what you can and can't do. With treatment by your pain management doctor, this can finally be an attainable outcome. 

Conditions Pain Management Doctors Treat

There are so many conditions a pain management doctor is able to treat, including but not limited to:

Back pain

Treatments include:

• Prescription medications
• Cortisone injections
• Physical therapy

Back pain results from injury, repetitive movement, and some medical conditions. Back pain can also be caused by muscle or ligament strain, and compression of the spinal nerves usually due to muscle and postural imbalances, lifting, pushing, or pulling objects incorrectly, and overexertion.

Common conditions associated with back pain include arthritis, osteoporosis, ruptured or bulging disc, ligament or muscle strain, and skeletal irregularities.

Neck pain

Treatment is based on the type of neck pain but may include:

• Chiropractic
• Acupuncture
• Nerve Blocks
• Epidural Steroid Injections

There are many causes of neck pain but some of the most common causes are joint damage, injury, pinched nerve, muscle degeneration, poor posture, bad sleep habits, sports injuries, arthritis, and infectious disease.

Joint pain

Treatments include:

• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Ice or heat compress
• Joint injections
• Nerve blocks
• Radiofrequency ablation

Hip pain can occur from injury, overuse, arthritis, fracture, Bursitis, and Tendinitis

Knee pain can occur from injury, Bursitis, Tendinitis, Iliotibial band syndrome, dislocation, Arthritis, and Gout

Shoulder pain can occur from injury, fracture, dislocation, Bursitis, heart attack, Arthritis, and Tendinitis

Nerve pain

It is difficult to say the direct cause of nerve injury as every individual is different. Treatment options are also based on an individual diagnosis.

Muscle injury

Treatments include:

• Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
• Chiropractic
• Cupping therapy
• Acupuncture
• Physical therapy
• Bracing

It can occur from exercise overexertion, muscle tears, and ligament injuries.

Muscle pain can also occur from injuries such as car accidents or falling.

Comprehensive Pain Management from A-Z

Whether you're recovering from a sports injury or dealing with the pains that come with the aging process, our dedicated team of pain management doctors is here for you every step along the way. We believe in a team approach to diagnosing and managing pain in the most effective way. 

We offer a wide range of specialized treatments for every pain management need. With 9 convenient locations across AZ. If you're looking to find the best pain management doctor in Arizona, look no further than AZ Pain Doctors. 

Contact us today to schedule your appointment so you can be pain-free in AZ!