Everything You Need to Know About Pain Management
By Space Coast Daily // March 25, 2021
A pain management doctor is a specialist who can evaluate your pain and treats various types of pain problems. Simply put, a pain management doctor can treat sudden pain issues like headaches as well as other forms of chronic pain, such as back pain.
People who have pain problems can visit a pain clinic and even go home the same day. Remember that pain management doctors can provide a mix of procedures and medication-based treatments to stop the pain. This article discusses everything you need to know about pain management.
Types of pain
The types of pain that a pain management doctor at https://www.synergyspinemd.com/ handles usually fall into three major categories. The first one is the pain that comes due to direct tissue injuries like arthritis. The second form of pain is due to nerve injuries or even nervous system diseases, such as a stroke. The last form of pain is a mix of nerve and tissue injuries, such as back pain.
It’s worth noting that several disorders lead to pain because of tissue injury. These disorders include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Nerve or nervous system disorders that may cause pain include multiple sclerosis, stroke, neuropathy, and spinal cord injury. There are also mixed pain disorders like back pain, cancer, and neck pain.
Treatment approaches
Pain treatment can start with a primary care physician who can recommend physical therapy and pain medications. But when it comes to advanced treatment, then you may need to see a pain management doctor. Pain management doctors usually treat you by following specific steps.
The first line of treatment can involve medications like muscle relaxants, antidepressants, and many more. Your pain management doctors can also include injections designed to numb the pain. Even better, they can involve transcutaneous electrical stimulators which are units that utilize skin pads to provide low-voltage electrical current to areas you are feeling pain.
The second stage of treatment may involve advanced procedures like viscosupplementation or radiofrequency ablation. During radiofrequency ablation, there is heat or chemical elements applied to your nerve to stop pain signals. This procedure is usually utilized for chronic health problems like arthritis of the spine.
On the other hand, viscosupplementation refers to the injection with lubricating fluids that are applied into joints, especially if you have arthritis pain. With this stage, your pain management doctor can also prescribe stronger medication.
The last stage of treatment may involve an implant with a spinal cord stimulator or a pain pump. This treatment type aims at relieving pain that originates from the spinal cord. After all, the spinal cord is your body’s control center that senses pain. Another option at this level is a stem cell or regenerative treatment.
Pain patients can be seen by a pain management doctor in an outpatient clinic. Sometimes, the doctor can also decide to do the procedure in any other hospital. While some doctors can give you sedation, others feel that this is not required in many situations.
