Who is a pain management specialist?
When pain is present for three months or more, it is known as chronic pain. Pain management deals with studying and treating conditions that cause chronic pain. Pain management specialists, pain medicine specialists, and pain doctors are highly specialized and trained in this field. They also coordinate treatment with other specialists and provide follow-up care for patients undergoing pain management.
To be a pain management specialist in the US, board-certified doctors who have completed general residency training in their specialty must also finish a one-year fellowship in pain management.
What does a pain management specialist do?
When pain management specialists intervene to treat an illness or condition, it varies from patient to patient. However, the basic steps they follow are the same.
The process starts with diagnosis, and the treatment follows. These specialists help find the root cause of the pain. They employ a variety of techniques to evaluate and diagnose it. After you explain your personal and family medical history in detail, they assess your lifestyle by asking questions about your physical activity, the kind of work you are involved in, and the postures you maintain while working. Before performing a physical examination, they review all your previous diagnostic tests, including laboratory and imaging tests.
When it comes to treatment, if conventional methods don't work in relieving pain, the expertise of specialists who offer pain management near you comes into play. They receive training in administering various interventional treatments, pharmaceutical medications, and complementary therapies to help find the best combination of therapies to cure long-term pain. Complementary therapies range from massage, physical therapy, and acupuncture to dietary changes, yoga, and meditation.
Additionally, several specialists will be involved in your care, depending on which treatments work best for you. Pain management specialists co-work with all these other healthcare experts and coordinate to deliver the best care possible. Most pain specialists can also help you in dealing with any mental or physical challenges that come along the way.
How does a physician become a pain management specialist in the US?
Like any other type of doctor, pain management specialists must start their journey at a college or a university by completing four years of premedical schooling. It is recommended that they graduate with a science-based degree in physics, chemistry, biology, etc. Once they obtain the undergraduate degree, they must invest four years at medical school, resulting in either an MD or OD degree for the aspirants.
Further, to become a pain management specialist in a particular medical field, like oncology or pediatrics, a physician has to complete a residency program specific to that specialization. Upon completion of the residency, most physicians opt for the national board exam in their chosen specialty to become board-certified physicians in that specialization.
Currently, there is no residency training program for pain management. A physician's path to becoming a board-certified pain management specialist differs slightly. A physician must complete a residency training program in another specialty, such as physical medicine or anesthesiology. Then, they need to follow it up with a one-year fellowship in pain medicine, a subspecialty training. After this, they have to pass a board exam in pain management.
Each state has guidelines regarding who can practice as a pain management specialist. At the same time, some states require physicians to have board certification to practice in a pain management clinic. Others only require that the clinic's physician owner hold board certification. Some states don't need any board certification; they validate a certain number of credits related to pain management education each year.
What are the different types of pain?
Some types of pain are the result of an illness or an accident. Others can persist or return after treatment. Sometimes, pain may result from treatments (for example, pain after surgery), whereas some may have no known cause. The different types of pain include:
- Acute pain: It is intense and typically results from an injury. It improves as the injury or disease causes it to be treated. This pain may result from muscular spasms, a burn, a bone fracture, or another type of injury. Some illnesses and ailments, such as appendicitis and shingles, can cause acute pain.
- Chronic pain: It lasts more than three months and might be caused by an untreated injury, sickness, or conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, or nerve injury (neuropathy).
- Nociceptive pain: It is a type of pain you experience when you break a bone, hit your head, or pull a muscle. When you have an injury, your nerve cell endings (nociceptors) convey pain messages to the brain. The pain can be sudden and brief or persist for a long time. This pain can affect your internal organs (visceral pain) or the musculoskeletal system (somatic pain).
- Neuropathic pain (nerve pain): It happens due to problems with the nervous system. It occurs when nerves send pain signals to the brain by mistake, even when not injured. You may experience such pain in diabetes, MS, and HIV.
How do pain management specialists assess pain?
The first stage in pain management is determining what is causing it. Your provider will ask when you experience pain and its exact location. They will also ask whether the pain reduces or worsens with certain activities. You should discuss with the specialist if your pain remains stationary or moves (radiates) to other parts of your body.
Your provider will also ask about the severity of the pain. Providers may ask you to rate your pain (on a scale of 0 to 10). You can describe the pain as follows, depending on the root cause, location, and how severe your pain is:
- Aching or dull
- Sharp or shooting
- Burning, stinging, or pulsing (like electric shocks)
- Throbbing or pounding
Conditions treated by pain management specialists
Pain management specialists generally treat lower back pain, knee pain, fibromyalgia, arthritis, headaches and migraines, hip joint pain, neck pain, sciatica, nerve pain, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), and cancer pain.
- Lower back pain: Around 84% of adults in the US experience lower back or lumbar pain at some point in their lives. A herniation in the intervertebral disc, narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis), slipping of the vertebrae over one another, fractures in the vertebral column, deformities in the curvature of the spine, and infections in the spine are some common causes of lower back pain. These experts employ common treatments for back issues, like chiropractic care, biofeedback therapy, pain medications, and injections. They also suggest alternative modes of treatment, such as acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve therapy (TENS), are also used. They even help you make diet and exercise changes to your routine that help you deal with the pain better.
- Knee pain: Chronic knee pain may happen due to trauma such as injury, sprain, or fracture, injuries from repetitive movements such as ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear and tendinitis, and degenerative conditions such as arthritis or gout. Chronic pain in this region usually presents as joint swelling and pain while climbing steps or jumping. Pain specialists suggest exercise options that exert lesser strain on the knee joint, such as walking, water aerobics, and swimming. They also prescribe pain medications and recommend interventional treatments such as steroid injections and surgical options for reducing pain.
- Arthritis: Pain management specialists have training in diagnosing and treating all kinds of arthritis, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and juvenile arthritis. Arthritis usually presents as pain and stiffness, redness and swelling, weight loss, and tiredness. Imaging tests most commonly used to diagnose arthritis include X-rays and MRI scans. Pain management specialists help you understand the combination of options that help reduce arthritic pain. Standard non-invasive options include pain medications, protective braces, physical therapy, hot and cold packs, arthritis-friendly diet and exercise, and meditation. Interventional modes of treatment for arthritis include anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, and medial branch blocks.
- Neck pain: Common neck pain causes include degeneration of the ligaments, tendons, and neck muscles, inflammation of the vertebral joints, compression of the spine (stenosis), and a quick jolt to the neck (whiplash injury). Pain specialists help you understand the root cause of your neck pain and suggest therapies that help you find relief. Common treatment modalities for neck pain include neck exercises, physical therapy, biofeedback therapy (electrocardiogram, electromyogram, and electroencephalography), chiropractic treatment, acupuncture, anti-inflammatory medications, and interventional options such as steroid injections and surgeries.
Pain management clinics are healthcare facilities that either treat a specific type of pain or take an interdisciplinary approach where they deal with patients as a whole. They generally have a team of specialists working in coordination to diagnose and treat chronic pain. In addition to the pain management specialists, the team usually consists of nurses, physical therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and dieticians. Pain clinics help manage pain using traditional medications, physical therapy, behavioral therapy, and psychological therapy. They also employ alternative medicine methods and lifestyle changes to help bring down the pain.
How can you prepare for a pain management specialist appointment?
Before you meet a pain management specialist near you for the first time, you may have many questions -- What should you bring to the appointment? What will the provider ask you? What questions should you ask?
The comprehensive guide below will help you prepare and get the most out of your visit:
- Detail your symptoms: Your pain management specialist will ask questions about your symptoms, such as - Which areas do you have pain in? When did the pain start? How severe is it on a scale of 1-10? Does anything worsen it? How does it impact your everyday activities? Have you tried any treatments before? If yes, did anything help? It is a good idea to write down your symptoms before the visit to make it easier to communicate with the provider.
- Bring your medical records, including information about your health conditions, allergies, injuries, and surgeries. You must also carry your over-the-counter and prescription medications, supplements, and herbal remedies for the provider's reference. Lastly, bring copies of the results if you have had any recent lab or imaging tests.
- Write down your questions: Whether you want to understand your treatment options, home management strategies, or future pain prevention tips, your pain specialist can help you with tailored advice. Consider recording your queries in your journal or smartphone to ensure you remember everything during your appointment.
- Ask a loved one to join you: If you are anxious about meeting the doctor, the best way to calm your nerves is to have your support system accompany you. They can also contribute to the discussion and take down important notes for you.
Find the best pain management specialist near you in Bronx, New York
Patients look for the cause of their pain and the best way to reduce it while battling severe illnesses. Finding the best providers for pain management near you can help you deal with your condition much more efficiently, and this is where the massive database of healthcare professionals at Zocdoc can help.
Zocdoc enables you to filter doctors based on several criteria without creating an account. Go to the website and enter simple details in the search box. Type in your symptoms or condition, the kind of doctor you wish to see, the date and time you are free for an appointment, your residential address and zip code, and your current insurance carrier. Zocdoc will filter through its database and present you with a curated list of pain management specialists best suited to your needs.
To help you further, Zocdoc also includes a profile of all the specialists listed on the website. The profile contains:
- The places and days the specialists are available for consultation.
- The doctor's gender.
- The languages they are fluent in.
- The age group of patients they usually treat.
It also lists the doctor's qualifications and certifications, affiliations and accreditations, areas of specialization and years of work experience, and any awards or recognitions they have received for exemplary contribution in their field. The profile even shows detailed and verified patient reviews and ratings.
Since treatment for chronic pain is a long-term process with many follow-up appointments, having a pain management specialist near you who accepts your medical insurance can make things easier financially. Using the Zocdoc application, you can choose your insurance provider and plan from the drop-down menu, and it will immediately tell you if the specialist of your choice is in-network.
On the contrary, if you do not have insurance coverage, you can select "I'm paying for myself.", thus acknowledging that you are ready for out-of-pocket expenses. Zocdoc will match you with providers who accept patients without health plans. Do you have any more insurance-related queries? Please read the FAQs on our patient help center page.
All bookings on Zocdoc are fast, free, and secure!
Pain-related statistics in Bronx, New York
According to America's Health Rankings, about 24.4% of adults in New York have been told at least once by their healthcare professional that they have some form of arthritis. It is less than the national average of around 27.7%. Arthritis affects adults aged 65 and older, as its prevalence is nearly six times higher than that of adults aged 18-44.
The New York State Department of Health published another report detailing the percentage of adults diagnosed with arthritis in New York in 2016, mentioning that the Bronx was among the five counties with the lowest prevalence rate (19.9%).
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