Are you one of the estimated 100 million people in America living with chronic, life-limiting pain?
Pain drastically affects the quality of the lives of its sufferers, but you do not have to accept it as permanent. Whether your pain is from arthritis, cancer, or is idiopathic in nature, you are not alone and help is out there.
Read on to discover how a doctor who specializes in pain management will help you take control of your life again and live pain free.
When chronic pain begins to interfere with a person's day-to-day life, often the first thing they do is make an appointment with their family doctor or primary care physician.
While this is a good place to start, these physicians are usually somewhat limited in what is available to them to treat your condition. Prescription painkillers are standard of care. What they can do, though, is refer you to a specialist.
Pain doctors are different than your primary care provider because they have specialized knowledge specific to pain management that will help you learn how to live your life without debilitating pain.
In essence, effective, safe relief is not just their primary goal – it is their only goal.
But what do you do if you particularly like the doctor you already have?
Good news! Your primary care physician and your pain doctor can sometimes work together so that everyone stays on the same page for the duration of your care. This kind of coordinated approach ensures that you have access to the best care of both worlds.
When you decide to consult a pain specialist you are enlisting the help of someone who has in-depth knowledge of the unique needs of patients with severe pain, as well as the most up-to-date options for treatment.
If you were to find out tomorrow that you need open-heart surgery, would you see a family care physician or a cardiac specialist to follow up? Certainly, almost everyone would choose the specialist. The way you choose your provider for the treatment of your severe and/or chronic pain should be no different.
A doctor whose primary focus is on getting ahead of your pain has a different goal than a doctor who is trying to treat the symptoms of a disease or injury. This means the resources available to a pain doctor are more targeted than those that are accessible to a general physician.
Your pain doctor will never treat your symptoms with a broad scope. A doctor who specializes in pain management will diagnose the underlying issue. Then they can develop a plan that will treat your specific type of pain.
Once the type of pain is more clearly defined, your doctor will discuss the options available to you.
Relief is out there, but unfortunately, not all pain is created equal. What works in the treatment of one kind of pain often doesn't work for another. Your pain doctor can offer many different treatment options to get you the help you deserve.
The kind of treatment you will receive is based on the root cause of your pain. Your doctor will also take into consideration any other underlying conditions you may have. The treatment plan will address the specific pain management goals you have in mind.
There are lots of different kinds of treatment options available today, from acupuncture and chiropractic care to joint injections and vertebroplasty, and everything in between.
In some cases, prescription painkillers are enough to numb certain kinds of pain. If this applies to you, that's great! Other times, though, they barely take the edge off or stop working altogether. If you find yourself in this situation you must see a pain management specialist who will come up with a care plan that works better for you.
Additionally, pain management doctors often have access to stronger, more effective prescription medications. They are aware of which medications work for which conditions and can adjust your plan of treatment accordingly.
Should you ever want to transition away from prescription painkillers, these doctors are usually trained to help you achieve that goal as well.
If the way you've learned to manage your pain just isn't working anymore – or if your pain returns or gets worse – your doctor will figure out a better way to help make you more comfortable. All you need to do is maintain an open line of communication with your care provider.
Surgery can be a necessary step toward either the treatment of an underlying cause of your pain or in helping address it. Other times, though, and for many different reasons, some patients decide to opt-out of surgery.
Many patients find that there are less invasive, safer options to consider before taking the leap, no matter what it is that is causing their pain.
Nerve blocks, cortisone injections, and epidurals are only a few non-surgical options available to patients of pain medicine doctors. In a pain management setting, these procedures are routine and any associated risks are minimal.
Should surgery become necessary, many of these treatments are offered in conjunction with a surgical approach, so knowing your options and keeping them open is always a good decision.
When you schedule an appointment with one of our doctors who specialize in pain management you decide to put your well-being front and center. A consult lets you act as a key player in your treatment plan, which is vital in making sure you live pain free.
Relief is just a phone call away! When you work in conjunction with your pain doctor you can get back to what really matters: living your life without pain.