Benefits of Working With a Pain Specialist

If you have ever suffered from chronic pain, you understand how debilitating it is. Your pain starts to rule your life, determining what you can and cannot do and when. Seeing a primary care physician may be the first step in your pain management journey, but if your pain is not relieved, your physician may refer you to a pain clinic Orange Park FL to work with a pain specialist. Consider the benefits of working with a pain specialist.

Access Specialists With Pain Diagnosis and Treatment Training

Pain specialists have received much more focused and intensive training in pain diagnostics and treatment than other physicians. They complete additional chronic pain residencies, fellowships or internships. Therefore, they gain deeper knowledge about the causes of chronic and acute pain throughout your body, your pain relief options and how both can affect your life.

Receive Extensive Testing

Your first appointment will consist of a thorough examination and interview about your health, pain and treatment history. Pain specialists can diagnose the cause of your pain with greater accuracy than other physicians due to their extensive training and experience. Because they can more accurately diagnose the cause of your pain, pain specialists won’t take a reactive, trial-and-error approach to treat your symptoms. Instead, they treat the root cause of your pain.

Explore Different Treatment Types

Pain specialists also learn more about novel pain treatments and how they can affect certain types of pain. For example, they may suggest nerve blocks or spinal injections for nerve pain in your back. However, they also learn about the benefits of alternative treatments, such as massage, physical therapy, electrolysis and dry needle treatments. These professionals may also suggest surgery if they believe it will alleviate your pain in the long term. Pain clinics also often have equipment and treatment options that other care facilities don’t. Before they prescribe any treatment, a pain specialist will go over all of its benefits and disadvantages.

Consider Lifestyle Changes

Finally, pain specialists learn how your lifestyle can affect your pain management. Your pain plan may include a combination of any number of treatments. For example, you may be asked to complete physical therapy and be given a pain reliever or muscle relaxer, but you will typically be given lifestyle changes that can help with your pain as well. Your specialist may suggest additional exercise, learning coping mechanisms to reduce stress, dietary changes, positive attitude changes, sleep management and even eliminating bad habits, such as smoking or drinking, from your life.

Don’t just accept that you will always be in pain. You can choose a more well-rounded, comprehensive approach when you work with a pain specialist.