When Should I See a Pain Management Specialist?

You’ve probably heard of Pain Management Specialists.  You probably even know someone who has been helped by them. But that doesn’t help if you’re experiencing intolerable pain. The question that you (and many other patients) may have is…

“When should I see a pain management specialist?”

 You Should See a Pain Management Specialist If Your Pain is Not Responding to Conservative Treatment

Sometimes traditional treatment isn’t enough and a specialist is needed. Some treatments that you may have tried (but haven’t worked) are:

• Rest
• Physical therapy
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Pain medications
• Activity modification

A Pain Management Specialist can determine why these treatments haven’t worked and the underlying cause of your pain. Once they do, an effective treatment plan can be put into place.

You Should See a Pain Management Specialist If the Physician You’re Currently Seeing Doesn’t Know What’s Causing Your Pain

 Pain Management Specialists see patients across a variety of medical disciplines. The most common are:

• Neurology
• Rheumatology
• Oncology
• Internal medicine

For numerous reasons, the treating physician might not be able to identify the cause of pain and a referral to a Pain Management Specialist is necessary.

You Should See a Pain Management Specialist If You’re Experiencing Chronic Pain for No Reason

Nervous system abnormalities can cause chronic pain that’s not associated with an accident, injury, or medical conditions. In these situations, Pain Management can offer solutions that other specialties can not. Because Pain Management physicians have been trained to understand a wide variety pain conditions, they can recognize them and create effective treatment plans.

The Pain Management Team at Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine is comprised of a multidisciplinary team specializing in the non-surgical treatment of spinal conditions and chronic pain.  This team works hand in hand with our team of Orthopedic and Sports Medicine specialists as well as Physical Therapists to develop unique treatment plans based on the lifestyles, habits and goals of each of our patients.  We have locations across Long Island and Manhattan, so if if you, or someone you love is dealing with chronic pain, contact us today!