Pain Management FAQ
Pain Management FAQ
What is pain management?
Answer: Pain management is a specialty in medicine that focuses on the alleviation of pain. Depending on the circumstances that cause the pain and whether it is chronic or acute a physician can determine the appropriate course of action to help the patient cope with pain.
Many people suffer from chronic debilitating pain and the only solution that they have is to get the help of a pain management clinic. Treatment can be anything from prescription drugs to physical therapy.
What does a pain management doctor do?
Answer: A pain management doctor is a physician that specializes in the field of chronic pain. The pain management doctor will be able to evaluate the pain, determine the source of the pain, and diagnose what is causing the pain.
After a series of questions, tests, x-rays, scans, and other procedures that will provide answers, the pain management physician will be able to get a whole glimpse of the pain and the underlying factors that are causing it.
Once the pain has been diagnosed the doctor will be able to strategize a solution that will bring relief to the patient.
What is interventional pain management?
Answer: Interventional pain management is an alternative pain management subspecialty that has a long history dating back to the late 1800s. This type of treatment aims to manage the pain of the patient and improve their overall quality of life by using minimally invasive techniques.
Some of the treatment techniques are:
- Anesthetic and steroid medication injections
- Nerve blocks
- Joint injections
- Pulsed Radiofrequency Neurotomy
Interventional pain management methods are becoming more popular now that the use of pharmaceutical drugs for treating pain is becoming more and more controlled by the government.
Can chronic pain be managed?
Answer: Chronic pain can be a complex problem to manage because the root cause of it can be a multitude of issues. The only thing pain management doctors can do is to correctly identify the cause of the pain and treat it in whichever means will be most beneficial for the patient.
Sometimes the pain is caused by an injury that eventually heals and stops hurting, while various underlying conditions within the patient cause other types of pain.
Lower back pain caused by a herniated disc can be debilitating and almost paralyzing. However, this kind of injury can heal and be resolved by stretching and exercise. Other types of pain caused by nerve damage and issues with internal organs are a whole other realm of pain.
Can chronic pain be managed? Yes, it can, but the way it is handled will depend on what is causing the pain.
How many chances do you get at pain management?
Answer: The answer to this question will depend on the contract agreement you signed when you agreed to the terms of your treatment. Typically, a pain management program will drug test a patient to see whether or not they are using any other substances while being treated.
If the patient provides a positive drug test during a visit they are in jeopardy of being discharged from the treatment program. How many positive drug tests a facility will allow will depend on the facility.
Pain management clinics can discharge a patient for any reason other than discrimination because of race, sex, etc. If you are under the care of a pain management clinic it is best to adhere to all policies and agreements that are congruent to the terms of the facility.
