Pain management is a specialty branch of medicine that aims to improve the quality of life and ease the suffering of patients living with chronic pain. A good pain clinic will take an interdisciplinary approach to diagnose and treat the underlying cause. Many different types of healthcare professionals can be involved in one patient’s care.
What to expect from a comprehensive pain management clinic. The initial visit is usually the longest and can take a few hours. A lot of forms asking all types of questions, some quite personal, will need to be filled out. In the age of electronic medical records, this data will then be entered digitally where the team of health care providers will go through the information and start the process of determining where the pain originates. The health care team will then ask additional questions to fill in any gaps and then proceed with a detailed physical exam. Based on this information, lab tests, x-rays,
6 | Winter/Spring 2013
nerve tests, vascular studies, MRIs and diagnostic injections may also be ordered. Next, a detailed treatment plan will be made. Treatment may include medication, physical therapy, supportive bracing, injections, counseling, and other advanced interventions including radiofrequency and neuromodulation. One of the most difficult parts of the treatment process is finding the pain physician who best suits your needs. For more information on this process, turn to the next article.
PAIN |
Q U A R T E R L Y