Living with chronic pain is debilitating, demoralizing, and often makes the daily tasks you once took for granted impossible to do. Pain management tailored to your diagnosis, injury or chronic condition may offer you relief and the ability to re-engage with your life on your terms. Finding a pain management professional who has the training, knowledge, and skills to help you manage your pain doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Before searching for a clinic that specializes in the treatment of chronic pain, it is good to understand how a pain management professional can help you.
What Is a Pain Management Professional?
Oftentimes, a pain management professional is a medical doctor with advanced training beyond medical school that teaches them how to treat chronic pain. Many pain management doctors are also board certified in anesthesia; some may also be board certified in neurology or physical medicine and rehabilitation.
Doctors who are specialists in the management of pain often work with other medical professionals in an interdisciplinary team to help locate, address, and treat the root cause of the chronic pain. Those medical professionals that may also team with the pain management doctor to create a comprehensive treatment plan may include pharmacists, physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncture specialists, and psychologists.
What Kind of Chronic Pain Is Treated?
Chronic pain may manifest in many forms at different times in a person’s life. There are instances in which the cause of the chronic pain can be easily traced back to a traumatic incident, such as an injury, an accident, or a surgery. Other times, the chronic pain may be caused by a condition that impacts the joints or nerves, such as arthritis or fibromyalgia. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery to treat their cancer may also find themselves living with chronic pain. There are also instances wherein patients dealing with chronic pain have not clear reason for the condition but are suffering nonetheless. Pain is considered chronic when the duration lasts for greater than three months for the patient; additionally, chronic pain may be defined by pain that does not respond to conventional pain medication such as over-the-counter remedies and baseline prescription remedies.
Some of the most common types of chronic pain that are treated at a pain treatment clinic include:
- Back pain
- Sports injury
- Headaches and migraines
- Nerve pain, such as sciatic nerve pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Arthritis
- Pain caused by cancer or cancer treatments
What Does a Pain Management Doctor Do to Treat Pain?
A doctor who specializes in treating chronic pain first diagnoses the cause of the pain through a patient visit and exam, review of medical history, and consultation with previous doctors. Once a diagnosis is made for the cause of the pain, the doctor will create a pain management treatment plan that may include medication, physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic care, or psychological therapy. The doctor will oversee and coordinate the patient’s care with the team. Lastly, for patients in need of intervention treatment, such as spinal injections for back pain, the doctor will perform these interventions within their clinic.
Living with chronic pain doesn’t have to become your new normal.
Christopher is an author and community blogger living with chronic pain. Researching and encouraging healthy ways to cope with pain through pain management and healthy practices.