Who is a pain management specialist?
Pain management specialists are doctors who assess your pain and treat sudden or long-term pain-related problems such as headaches and lower back pain. They offer a mix of medication-based treatments and procedures to treat pain.
Pain management doctors complete over nine years of medical training. Aspiring pain specialists take the first step of gaining a broad medical education through medical school. Here, they receive four years of hands-on training in anesthesiology, physical medicine, rehabilitation, or neurology.
They then complete a year of training solely focused on treating pain. Finally, doctors can earn a certificate from the American Board of Pain Medicine and qualify to practice pain medicine in the United States. Their extensive education and training enable them to treat various physical pain.
Different types of pain
There are various types of pain. However, the five most common ones include:
- Acute pain: It is the pain that lasts for a short duration, either minutes or maybe three months. Sometimes, it can also extend up to six months. Acute pain mostly comes from a soft-tissue injury or temporary ailment. As soon as the injury or the ailment heals, the pain subsides. Besides, acute pain from an injury can grow into chronic pain if not properly healed.
- Chronic pain: This is the kind of pain that lasts for a longer duration. It may be constant or intermittent, something that comes and goes. The major cause of chronic pain is mostly health conditions, like arthritis, spine conditions, fibromyalgia, or headaches that last for months and years, even if the pain is not always there.
- Neuropathic pain: It is a pain that develops due to damaged nerves or other parts of the nervous system. It is a type of chronic pain and people who experience it describe it as shooting, burning, or stabbing pain or as if they feel pins and needles in their bodies. Neuropathic pain may also bring touch sensitivity and loss of the ability to sense cold and heat. If the pain is too severe, it may cause mobility issues and lead to problems with performing daily activities.
- Nociceptive pain: It is the pain that is caused by body tissue damage, mostly external injury. It can be sharp, achy, and throbbing. It can be both acute and chronic. The pain you feel after hitting your elbow, stubbing your toe, twisting your ankle, or falling and scraping up your knee is called nociceptive pain. This pain is mainly related to the joints, skin, muscles, tendons, and bones.
- Radicular pain: It is a very distinguished pain. It usually occurs when your spinal nerve gets inflamed or compressed, radiating from the back and hip into the legs. It may give a tingling, numbing sensation, along with muscle weakness. One of the most common forms of radicular pain is radiculopathy, which causes sciatica. It often radiates from the back into the legs, is steady, and gets worse with activities like walking and sitting.
What types of pain does a pain management specialist treat?
Pain management specialists treat the types of pain that fall into three main categories: Pain due to direct tissue, pain due to nerve injury or a nervous system disease, or pain due to a mix of tissue and nerve injury.
Conditions that cause pain due to tissue injury include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, neck pain, or back pain. Osteoarthritis is wear and tear arthritis in the large joints of the knees or hips. Rheumatoid arthritis is arthritis due to an autoimmune reaction usually felt in small joints like fingers and wrists.
Several nerve-related or nervous system disorders, stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and neuropathy can cause pain that falls into the second category. Neuropathy is nerve pain due to shingles, HIV, or diabetes. If you suffer from any of these, seeking pain management is ideal.
When should you consult a pain management specialist near you?
Experiencing pain is a common aspect of life, and distinguishing whether the discomfort warrants professional attention can be challenging. Numerous factors contribute to temporary aches, which often resolve on their own. However, chronic pain may necessitate a personalized pain management plan, and recognizing the signs is crucial. Here are five indicators to consider:
- Persistent pain during specific movements: If you are dealing with enduring pain during certain motions, consulting a board-certified pain management specialist is advisable. These experts utilize pain mapping and selective nerve root-blocking techniques to identify the pain's origin. Once the pain management specialist has identified the root cause, they can craft a tailored treatment plan to alleviate the discomfort.
- Difficulty performing daily activities: Struggling with day-to-day movements due to persistent pain may signal the need for professional intervention. While some injuries naturally heal over time, ongoing debilitating pain hindering routine activities is abnormal. Visiting a pain management center in Marrero, Metairie, or Covington could provide insights and solutions for improved functionality.
- Radiating pain or unusual sensations: If the pain radiates through a limb or your entire body, or if you experience numbness and tingling, it's advisable to seek the expertise of a pain management specialist. These symptoms may indicate issues such as pinched nerves or herniated discs, prompting the development of a customized pain management treatment plan.
- Dependency on medication: Relying on medication to cope with daily pain may have adverse effects on your health. If you've been using pain medication consistently, try to explore alternative options offered by pain management clinics. These alternatives often have fewer side effects, contributing to a healthier approach to managing discomfort.
- Sleep disturbances due to pain: Difficulty sleeping can significantly impact your health. Any pain that disrupts your sleep should be considered severe.
What can you expect when seeking pain management near you for the first time?
A pain management specialist shall ask questions about your symptoms on the first visit. They may also look at your records, medication list, and prior diagnostic studies like X-ray, MRI, or CT scans. It will be helpful to note your symptoms in advance to avoid missing any. You must also carry all previous reports to facilitate an accurate diagnosis.
Your pain management specialist shall ask you questions about your pain points. Where do you feel pain? What body part? They shall ask you about the nature and frequency of the pain. What does your pain feel like? Is it dull, aching, tingling, or sharp? Is it sudden or long-term? How often do you feel the pain? They shall ask you about events that trigger the pain. When do you feel the pain? Does exercise elevate it? Is it worse post-meals? They also ask you about the setting for the pain. Is it worse sitting, standing, or lying down?
Common diagnostic tests that a pain management specialist performs
Pain management specialists go beyond physical assessments and include the following commonly performed procedures that help identify the cause of pain:
- CT scan: During a CT scan, the specialist utilizes X-rays and computers to generate cross-sectional body images. You will lie as still as possible on a table, moving through a large, doughnut-shaped scanning device. Occasionally, your doctor may administer a solution into a vein before the scan to enhance the visibility of internal structures. CT scans typically last between 15 minutes to an hour.
- MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides clear images without the use of X-rays. This test involves a large magnet, radio waves, and a computer to create detailed images. An MRI may take fifteen minutes to an hour, depending on the number of images required. Sometimes, the doctor may inject a contrast material to improve image quality. It's important to note that individuals with pacemakers or other magnetic-sensitive devices should avoid undergoing an MRI.
- Nerve blocks: Nerve blocks serve diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in pain management. Your doctor injects an anesthetic into specific nerve locations to numb the pain. Then, an imaging test is performed to locate the optimal needle insertion site precisely. Your response to the nerve block can provide valuable information about the cause and origin of your pain.
- Discography: Pain management specialists perform discography on individuals considering back surgery or when additional diagnostic evaluations are necessary. The doctor injects a dye into the suspected painful disc during the procedure. The dye enables visualization of any areas of damage on X-ray images, aiding in diagnosis and treatment planning.
- Myelogram: Similar to discography, a myelogram evaluates back pain. The doctor injects a dye into the spinal canal to identify nerve compression resulting from herniated discs or fractures.
- EMG: Electromyogram (EMG) enables doctors to assess muscle activity by inserting fine needles into the muscles to measure their response to electrical signals.
- Bone scans: The doctors use bone scans to diagnose and monitor bone infections, fractures, and other disorders. The specialist injects a small amount of radioactive material into your bloodstream, accumulating in abnormal bone areas. Subsequently, a computer can pinpoint these specific areas of concern.
- Ultrasound imaging: Popularly referred to as ultrasound scanning or sonography, this non-invasive test uses high-frequency sound waves to capture real-time images of internal structures. It records the echoes of the sound and displays them as dynamic images.
For comprehensive pain management, consult a qualified pain management specialist near you who can utilize these advanced procedures to tailor a precise diagnosis and treatment plan for your unique condition.
Maintaining a pain journal
A pain journal may help you know your pain patterns post your first visit and after your treatment has begun. It can enable you to communicate better with your pain management specialist. You can track your pain on a given day and rate it on a scale of 1 to 10. You can note how often the pain exists and if and how it impedes your daily activities. The journal shall help you notice things that provide temporary relief, like meditation, light stretches, or massage. It will also help you note what worsens your pain. Common triggers can be stress or lack of sleep.
Besides pain, the pain journal can also help you record your mood. You can add if you are feeling depressed, anxious, or have trouble with sleep. The information shall allow you and your pain management specialist to correlate your pain and mood at a given time. Pain often triggers mood imbalance and vice versa. With a pain journal, you can gain control over your pain and help your pain management specialist treat it quickly.
Finding the best pain management specialist near you in Hoboken, New Jersey
Untreated pain can hamper mobility and cause mental health issues, leading to more expensive health care bills than timely treatment. Using Zocdoc, you can start your pain treatment at the earliest. Zocdoc helps you with three stages:
- Finding the best pain management specialists
- Checking and sharing insurance details
- Booking your pain management appointment
On the Zocdoc website, enter your location (Hoboken, New Jersey), specialty (pain management specialists), and preferred appointment date to find top-rated doctors. You can filter your search by gender, hospital affiliations, time, languages spoken, and whether a practitioner treats children.
On Zocdoc, every practitioner has a detailed profile with information about their educational qualifications, board certifications, clinical interests, specializations, practice history, certifications, and spoken languages. It also informs you about previous patient ratings and reviews.
Zocdoc also helps make your insurance submitting process hassle-free by letting you filter pain management specialists according to those who accept your plan. Add your insurance carrier's name in the search query to utilize the feature. If you need clarification on your insurance plan, Zocdoc's insurance detector can help you. You can also use Zocdoc's insurance card capture feature to submit your medical insurance information before making an appointment. However, this is optional. For any insurance-related queries, visit Zocdoc's patient help center.
Once you select the best pain management specialist near you, click the book appointment option. Zocdoc will assist you in instantly booking an appointment for your first session. Zocdoc also allows you to book video appointments before in-person visits. Look for a purple video icon on your doctor's profile, or filter the video appointment selection. All bookings with Zocdoc are entirely free, fast, and secure.
Chronic pain statistics in New Jersey
Arthritis is an umbrella word for more than 100 chronic diseases and conditions affecting the joints and connecting tissues. According to the State of New Jersey Department of Health Services, arthritis affects around 1.5 million New Jersey residents yearly. It is, thus, the state's leading cause of disability.
Results of the CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System's 2022 survey published by America’s Health Rankings indicated that around 23.4% of New Jersey adults were diagnosed with some form of arthritis. The figure was almost 4.3% less than the corresponding US average of about 27.7%.
Statistics based on gender from the Department of Health Services indicate that women have a higher rate of arthritis than men; the difference stands at around 8%. Over 28% of New Jersey women have received a diagnosis of arthritis compared to nearly 20% of men in New Jersey. The statistics indicate the rate of arthritis in New Jersey increases with age. Almost 9% of those aged 18 to 44, over 32% aged 45 to 64, and around 53% of those 65 years and older have arthritis. The estimated annual cost of arthritis in New Jersey exceeds over 3 billion dollars for medical care and lost productivity.
Sources
National Spine and Pain Centers
Verywell Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mayo Clinic
America's Health Rankings
WebMD
Southern Pain & Neurological
Corewell Health
