What to Know When Visiting a Pain Management Doctor

Living with chronic pain is a huge challenge. Millions of people of all ages deal with chronic pain every year. Around 25 percent of Americans have reported pain that has lasted longer than 24 hours. Some cases start after an injury or illness, but others start seemingly out of the blue. Common types of chronic pain include arthritis, migraines, shingles, and back and neck pain. Although pain management is a common problem, it can be difficult to know if or when you should see a doctor, as well as what to expect when you do schedule an appointment.

In general, you should contact a doctor if your pain is repeatedly interfering with your life or if it seems impossible to control. If the pain has lasted over three months or is causing sleeplessness, making an appointment with a pain management doctor will be worth your time. 

Meeting with your primary care physician is the first step toward treating your chronic pain. Depending on the severity of the pain, your physician may refer you to a pain management doctor. Pain management doctors specialize in treating chronic pain. Pain doctors come from other specialties, including psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, and anesthesiologists. Depending on their background, most doctors will specialize in a particular type of pain. 

Many doctors will firstly try a watchful waiting period of time. In this time, both you and the doctor will observe your symptoms without treatment. During the watchful waiting, the doctor may recommend taking pain relievers, getting more exercise, sleeping more, or other small changes. 

If these methods are unsuccessful, the doctor may choose to try other pain management techniques. These techniques vary greatly depending on the type and severity of the pain. Some methods include electrotherapy, muscle relaxants, injections, and superficial heating and cooling of the skin. The doctor may also recommend working with other specialists, such as physical therapists or counselors, to find the pain management method that best helps you.

4 Back Pain Treatments

If you live in constant pain, you are probably searching for a pain treatment. Some pain management centers realize that patients need a treatment plan that has been customized to fit their diagnosis. This customization may mean that some patients are undergoing a number of different treatments to help reduce the overall pain in their life. Common pain treatment options include:

1.       Injections

An injection is typically a liquid that is put into your body through a needle in order to reduce localized pain caused from injuries, arthritis, chronic disease and other medical issues. When it comes to injections for pain treatment, there are a number of different options. Depending on your pain, you may need a simple injection or an epidural steroid injection.

2.       Pain Pumps

A pain pump is a piece of equipment that delivers pain medication. Typically it is inserted in your body and programmed to release the medication over a certain period of time. Most often this type of pain treatment is used for spinal or nerve pain.

3.       Radiofrequency Ablation

Ablation is the surgical removal of tissue.Radiofrequency ablation uses an alternating medium frequency current to generate heat that can remove dysfunctional tissue.  It often considered a long-term pain management option because it can target specific nerves.

4.       Spinal Cord Stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) uses electrical current to interrupt nerve impulses that cause chronic pain. Typically a pulse generator is implanted where it can send pulses directly to the spinal cord. Again, this type of treatment is a preferred option for the treatment of chronic pain.

If you suffer from constant pain, you may not see the desired benefits from just one of these pain treatment options. Using a combination of these procedures, you may be able to find respite from the pain. Talk with an expert today to find out what sort of procedures may be right for you.

How to Prepare for Pain Management Treatment

When you live with chronic pain, finally getting treatment can be a relief. You simply want to get to your appointment and get treated so you can start to live without the chronic pain that has plagued you for so long. However, before you go in for pain management treatment, there are some things you should do to ensure the appointment goes as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Review and Fill Out Forms

Most pain management centers will provide new patient packages on their website or send them to you in the mail so that you are able to fill out your paperwork before your appointment. It is highly advised that you take advantage of this because it will speed things up once you get to the center. Additionally, it will be easier for you to fill out the paperwork at home where you have all the information you may need. Filling the papers out completely is important to ensuring you get the best possible care.

Bring Medical Information With You

Make sure that you are completely prepared for the appointment by bringing all your medical history information that you have. This includes bringing a list of medications you may be taking, including anything over the counter, and any x-rays or other films you may have. Also, do not forget your insurance information. Forgetting this could delay your treatment or cause issues with your appointment.

Prepare a List of Questions

When you are at your appointment it is easy to forget any concerns you may have or any questions you had before you got there. That is why it is a good idea to write down any questions you may have so that you can refer to the list during your appointment. Consider asking questions that will educate you on understanding what is causing your pain and what your pain management treatment will entail.

Finally getting an appointment for pain management treatment can be wonderful. However, in order to make sure your appointment goes smoothly, you need to be prepared by filling out paperwork ahead of time, bringing all your medical information with you and preparing a list of questions.

What To Expect From a Pain Management Center

A pain management center is often the key to living life pain free. For someone who is struggling with chronic pain, it can be the only way to live a normal life. A center is able to offer a range of treatment options. If you have decided to go to a pain management center, it may help you to understand what you should expect.

Pain Management Is Misunderstood

The idea behind pain management is not just giving you some medication and hoping it will stop the pain. In most cases, pain is complex. It may have a point of origin, but it often is also influenced by other areas of your body. Therefore, the goal is to identify the problem and take a multi-faceted approach to treatment.

What Is a Multi-Faceted Approach?

A multi-faceted approach is using a variety of different methods to treat pain. Basically, the cause of the pain will be identified, along with any other factors that could be contributing to the pain. Then, treatment is designed for the different factors that are leading to the pain. This may mean that treatment involves taking medications, doing specific yoga exercises and following a specific diet. The idea behind this approach is to look at you as a whole person and not just one point of pain. The treatment will try to help you to heal overall so that the pain will go away, not just be hidden by the treatment you are given.

Teamwork Is Key

As part of the multi-faceted approach, you will likely see a variety of people at the pain management center. You may see a main doctor, who will run tests and go over your overall treatment plan, but you may also see specialists, like fitness experts, who are going to be a part of your pain management team.

Everyone has the same goal when you go to a pain management center: to help you manage your pain. Through identifying everything that is contributing to your pain and taking a multi-faceted approach to treatment, the team of people you work with will be able to help you be as pain free as possible.