Pain Management Specialist

Pain Management Specialist: When to See a Pain Management Specialist

Do you know how long pain should reasonably last? Pain isn’t just a feeling of discomfort because it can affect your overall feeling and well-being. It may also lead to mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. A pain management specialist Woodstock can discover a lot about your overall health after assessing the amount of pain you experience.

Acute pain occurs suddenly, usually in a matter of days or weeks. This type of pain tends to last for a few weeks before it disappears. Chronic pain is ongoing. According to some health guidelines, any pain that lasts beyond three months can be considered to be chronic. But others state that chronic pain should last longer than six months.

Pain-relief methods

There are different pain-relief methods, including at-home treatments and prescriptions, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and invasive procedures such as surgery. Pain relief usually does not happen overnight, but it can. Every person experience pain in a unique way.

That constant, excruciating pain seems to hit at the worst times and follows you everywhere. You start to feel that unnerving pain while you are shopping at a grocery, during those important work meetings, and even when playing outside with your kids or grandkids.

But should you grin and bear your aching neck or back, your arthritis or joint pain, or pain resulting from an old injury or surgery? No need to suffer anymore! It might be time to seek pain treatment and management from a specialist.

Pain that lasts for more than three months is traditionally considered chronic, according to anesthesiologist Dr. David Katz. This includes prolonged pelvic or abdominal pain, nerve pain, cancer pain, unusual pain of the limbs, pain involving the spine or joints, or pain after surgery.

Finding the Root Cause of Pain

Don’t suffer in silence! If you have been experiencing pain for a long period (more than three months), or if you were seeking care from a primary or specialty care physician and are still experiencing pain, then it is high time to see a pain management specialist Woodstock.

When someone walks into our clinic, our primary goal is to identify and treat the underlying cause of their pain. We do not want to treat pain as a symptom.

The primary goal of a pain specialist is to find the root cause of your pain. Accomplishing this goal requires collaboration with your primary care physician and other specialists – and listening to your complaints carefully.

This will enable your Woodstock pain management specialist to establish an accurate diagnosis that’ll help determine the root cause of the pain so that he or she can offer you proper treatment.

Your pain management specialist will develop a unique, multidisciplinary treatment plan for you. This may include:

use of pain medications
physical therapy
further diagnostic testing
use of steroids or nerve blocks for injection procedures
involvement of a pain psychologist
referral to other specialists
implementation of advanced devices for interfering with pain transmission
ongoing follow up and monitoring

Treatment and Pain Management Goals

Every patient has different treatment goals and so, it is essential to discuss with your doctor what your end goal is. According to one study, physicians may have adopted a treatment and pain management plan that does not include long-term opioid therapy while their patients continuously focused on reducing the intensity of chronic pain.

For every patient, the goal of their pain treatment is to diagnose the underlying problem, restore and optimize function, and eventually, reduce and relieve pain. In addition, every visit to our clinic is an opportunity to help you adopt favorable lifestyle changes.

You and your Woodstock pain management specialist at Advanced Health Solutions – GA Spine & Disc will look deeper to identify the root cause of your chronic pain.

To help fix and prevent future problems, your doctor may advise you to take the following steps:

Exercise regularly
Quit smoking
Change diet
Manage your stress levels
Focus on the positive
Get enough sleep

Adopting simple lifestyle changes, such as good sleep hygiene and learning how to cope with stress, can help improve your level of pain and overall, long-term quality of life. We are here to guide and encourage you to adopt and embrace these changes as part of your new daily routine.

When it comes to finding the right treatment for your pain, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all. So, you stand a good chance of getting the treatment you need and the quality of life you deserve if you see a pain management specialist as soon as possible.

Pain Clinics: What to Know

In the United States, over 100 million people live with chronic pain, and the number rises to 1.5 billion people around the world.

From their experiences, most people living with pain say it is difficult for them to concentrate during the day and sleep well at night. Also, it has significantly impacted their energy levels and enjoyment of life.

Visiting a pain clinic may help you if the pain has become a regular part of your life.

What Is a Pain Clinic?

Also known as pain management clinics, they are healthcare facilities for the diagnosis and management of chronic pain. These clinics are categorized into two types: one that handles procedures for specific types of pain, such as neck and back pain, and the other, sometimes referred to as an interdisciplinary clinic, whose approach evaluates and treats the patient as a whole.

A pain clinic often has a team of healthcare professionals, including:

Doctors and nurses
Physical therapists
Psychologists
Nutritionists and dietitians
Occupational/vocational therapists

In addition to prescribed medications, pain management in these clinics can include physical, psychological, and behavioral therapies.

They may also coach you on lifestyle changes, teach you about your pain, and provide you complementary or alternative medicine, including:

Massage
Acupuncture
Meditation
Water therapy
Biofeedback
Cognitive-behavioral therapy

What’s the Goal?

The primary goal is to relieve your pain and improve your quality of life. After seeking treatment at a pain clinic, you can gain skills to manage your chronic pain on your own. Hopefully, you will be more able to function so that you can return to work.

What Should I Look For?

Look for a clinic with a pain management specialist Woodstock who specializes in treating your type of pain. Ask if the doctor is board certified in pain management and has had special training.

As with other doctors, finding someone you feel comfortable with is very important. Your pain management specialist will identify and treat the root cause of your pain, and coordinate other care, including counseling, rehabilitation, and physical therapy as well.

A good pain management program will create a plan based on the goals that will work for you and your family. It’ll monitor your progress and let you know how you are doing.

What Else Should I Ask?

When you visit any clinic for your initial consultation, be sure to ask about the type of therapies they offer. You can also find out if they organize any support groups. Ask if you can speak to their previous clients.

What Should I Avoid?

Stay away from pain clinics that treat and manage pain mostly with narcotics. Being potentially highly addictive, these medications can be dangerous! A pain clinic shouldn’t just focus on the pain, but the patient as a whole.