Pain Medicine
A pain specialist is a physician who treats patients with painful conditions of various causes. A detailed history and examination are performed to help the doctor understand the nature of the pain and the factors related to it. A wide range of therapies may then be available. These include medications, physical and occupational therapy, nerve blocks and injections, to name a few. In special cases, sophisticated devices such as spinal cord stimulators and intra-spinal infusion pumps may be effectively used. Patients are carefully assessed, and individualized treatment plans are discussed and offered to the patients.
Among painful conditions commonly treated are chronic back pain and sciatica, neck pain, nerve pain conditions such as diabetic neuropathy, peripheral neuropathies, reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), and shingles, as well as pain related to cancer, in addition to many other painful conditions. Patients with persistent pain that has not responded to standard treatment are appropriate referrals to the pain management specialist.
The doctor works in conjunction with other physicians as needed. These may include the patient's own doctor, neurologists, neurosurgeons, physiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, psychologists, psychiatrists, and rheumatologists, to name a few.
Pain is treated using a multidisciplinary approach. The goal of the treatment is control of pain, restoration of function and improvement in the quality of life.
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