What Services Can You Expect from a Pain Management Doctor?
There’s typically some amount of pain associated with many, if not most, medical conditions. However, for many people, pain caused by an accident, illness, or other condition becomes chronic, remaining long after all other symptoms have gone.
If you are experiencing daily or persistent pain anywhere in your body, you may be inclined to consult a pain management specialist, a doctor who focuses on strategies to alleviate or control your pain. What types of services can you anticipate from a pain management doctor? What can they offer that you won’t get with your primary care physician?
A Diagnosis of the Sources of Your Pain
A pain management doctor will have a detailed knowledge and understanding of what causes pain. The first thing you can expect from a pain management specialist is an exhaustive diagnostic process to pinpoint the causes of your pain, whether it be nerve damage from an accident, a degenerative condition such as arthritis, or lifestyle factors (such as weight, posture, or activities).
Pain management specialists often group chronic pain into three categories:
- Pain related to or caused by tissue injury, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
- Pain caused by or related to nerve injury or a compromised central nervous system, including spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, stroke, or some type of neuropathy, such as diabetes or shingles
- Pain that combines tissue injury and nerve damage, commonly associated with neck or back pain, as well as many types of cancer
Do Pain Management Specialists Have Different Training?
As a general rule, pain management practitioners have anywhere from 9 to 12 years of training once they begin medical school. Their basic medical school training lasts four years, and they generally receive an additional four years of specialized training in neurology, physical medicine, rehabilitation strategies, anesthesiology, and other pain-related disciplines. Pain management specialists must complete yet another year of training focused exclusively on pain management and treatment in order to be certified by the American Board of Pain Medicine.
What Types of Treatment Can You Expect from a Pain Management Specialist?
The specialized type of treatment that pain management doctors provide typically includes the following:
- The first step uses pain management medications, such as muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories. A pain management specialist may also prescribe transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), where low voltage electricity stimulates the nerves in the areas of pain.
- The second line of treatment utilizes more advanced procedures, including heat or chemical agents, as well as radiofrequency ablation (RFA).
- If those treatments are ineffective, a pain management specialist may prescribe a pain pump or a spinal cord stimulator, both of which address pain at the spinal cord.
