When pain is disrupting your daily activities, then it’s a good sign that you might benefit by visiting a pain management specialist. Chronic pain is not only uncomfortable, but debilitating conditions can make it hard to manage things at home and work.
Knowing the right treatment plan can be difficult, especially when general doctors have been unsuccessful in helping you find relief. Here are a few things that every patient needs to know when searching for answers to solve chronic pain issues:
Pain Categorizations for Better Treatment
One step that happens when you are working with a pain management specialist is categorizing the type of pain you are experiencing. The best way to find a treatment that works is to understand the nature of the pain. Identifying the type of pain and root cause makes it easier for pain management specialists to design a treatment plan that works.
Pain Categorization: Duration
The first categorization is to determine the duration of the pain. How long have you been experiencing these symptoms?
- Acute Pain: When pain is classified as acute, it means that there is a short duration. Typically, this type of pain happens after an injury or sudden illness. The pain can be pretty severe, but it will start to subside quickly.
- Chronic Pain: On the other hand, pain is classified as chronic when it is constantly recurring or lasts a long time. This type of pain can be mild, moderate, or severe. Chronic pain is the most common reason why patients seek pain management support.
In some situations, the pain begins with an acute classification. Then it turns into chronic pain over time. For example, someone might experience immediate acute back pain after an accident. Even with treatment and therapy, the pain can continue for months or years, which is classified as chronic pain.
Pain Categorization: Cause
Another way to categorize the pain is by determining the cause of these symptoms. Pain specialists often use several categories to classify pain as part of the diagnosis:
- Nociceptive Pain: This type of pain happens when there is tissue damage.
- Neuropathic Pain: Pain that occurs because of nerve damage.
- Psychogenic Pain: This pain starts as either neuropathic or nociceptive pain, then psychological factors (such as anxiety or depression) prolong the pain. It often affects the back and stomach or manifests in headaches.
- Idiopathic Pain: The final categorization is idiopathic, which means that doctors can’t find an apparent cause for the pain.
There are times when a patient has varied reasons for pain. Also, further classification can be made for nociceptive pain with two subcategories:
- Radicular Pain: Nerve pain that happens because of irritation in the nerve root, which then radiates into lower body extremities (such as the leg or arm).
- Somatic Pain: Nerve pain that occurs in the thighs or back.
Getting Started with Pain Management: What to Expect
When you meet with a pain management specialist, the goal is to diagnose the type of pain you are experiencing so a treatment plan can be designed. This approach differs from meeting with a primary care physician because it’s a multi-faceted approach to treating the root cause of the pain.
Often, primary care physicians only have standard tools for treating pain, such as medications to manage the symptoms. If these basic treatments don’t work, then they will refer patients to meet with a specialist.
On the other hand, pain management doctors work with pain all day, every day. As a result, they understand the nuances contributing to pain levels and provide unique insights to help patients find relief.
When you meet with a pain management specialist, you will talk about the symptoms and other aspects of your current condition. For example, the doctor will likely ask about how the pain impacts your daily life, the severity of your pain, and how you are currently managing the situation.
Diagnostic tests are often helpful in determining the root cause of the pain. However, the benefit of working with a pain management doctor is that they are not only working to alleviate immediate symptoms but are also focusing on long-term treatments to help you feel better in the future.
Pain Management Treatment Options
Your personalized pain management plan will likely include specialists and doctors who are practicing different forms of medicine. For example, you might meet with a neurologist, anesthesiologist, physical therapist, and more.
Additionally, there are times when psychiatrists are helpful for effective pain management. These services are beneficial for addressing the emotions and mental challenges that are associated with chronic pain. A psychiatrist can also be a great resource when the doctors can’t find physical reasons for the pain.
Here are some of the types of treatments that might be included as part of your pain management plan:
- Medications: Pain medications (either prescription or over-the-counter) can be beneficial to help with the initial management of pain. Doctors are starting to reduce the use of opioids because of the risk of misuse and addiction. But there are other types of medications that can be helpful, such as anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, and antidepressants.
- Injections: Another way to deliver pain medication is through injections into the affected joint. These injections include nerve blocks or steroids to reduce nerve inflammation.
- TENS: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators send low-voltage electrical currents to the affected areas. The specialist will place pads on your skin and turn on the machine to send the currents during your treatment.
- Radiofrequency Ablation: Another option is to use radiofrequency (RF) technology to help with pain management. This treatment can stop pain signals by using RF on the affected nerves. This treatment is usually a second-line treatment when less invasive treatments aren’t working.
- Pain Pump: When you are still unable to find relief, then the pain management specialist might talk to you about a spinal cord stimulator or pain pump. These treatments work with the spinal cord to relieve pain at the source.
- Stem Cells: Regenerative medicine is relatively new and is being used for many types of pain management.
Is It Time to Talk to a Specialist About Pain Management?
You shouldn’t be suffering through the pain every day. But, if you want to find relief, then it’s a great time to schedule a consultation at a pain management clinic.
Our team offers a full-service approach, including diagnostics and personalized treatment plans to achieve the best results possible. Every patient is unique, so there isn’t a cookie-cutter treatment plan for pain management.
If you would like to learn more about available treatment options, reach out to us at Kentuckiana Pain Specialists. We offer alternative treatment solutions to help with immediate and long-term pain relief. We are located in the Louisville, Kentucky, area. Call us at (502) 995-4004.