Call NowDoes A Pain Management Doctor Really Differ From A Regular Physician?
You may have never heard of a pain management doctor, but they have an integral role in helping people heal. Simply, pain management doctors are professionals who specialize in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of pain and are often board-certified in a specific modality such as sports injury, chronic pain, or cancer.
Our team at Impact Medical Zephyrhills explains how pain management doctors differ from primary care physicians (PCPs) and discusses what conditions they often treat.
Pain Management: An Overview
Most pain management doctors see patients who are suffering from chronic pain. Sometimes it can be hard to pinpoint where the pain originates from, and this is where a pain management doctor can be greatly beneficial as they can help target and treat the source.
Most often, pain management doctors treat pain in the:
- Low back
- Knee
- Head
- Hip
- Neck
They commonly work hand in hand with patients who are suffering from:
- Arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraines
- Sciatica
So, now that we’ve discussed an overview of what pain management doctors treat, let’s discuss what exactly they do that differs from regular physicians.
What Do Pain Management Doctors Do?
Let’s consider back pain as an example. You may have been experiencing back pain for several years and are finally at your wit’s end because you haven’t been able to find relief. A pain management doctor can help diagnose the cause of the pain and any underlying conditions that may be exacerbating it.
Back pain could be caused by poor posture, a herniated disc, or arthritis among many other things. If you haven’t had luck pinpointing exactly what is causing your pain, a pain management doctor could be the answer!
Once they have diagnosed your pain, they can find a therapy that will work best for you including:
- Chiropractic care
- Weight loss
- Manual therapy
- Physical therapy
- Exercise
- Pain injections
- And more
If none of these methods are effective, surgery is usually the last resort.
Benefits of Pain Management
While primary care physicians are knowledgeable about many health conditions, they do not have the time or same level of training on specific conditions that specialists in pain management have.
The main benefits include:
- Access to specialty equipment and treatment options that are targeted toward treating different types of pain
- Highly personalized care that treats the cause, not the symptoms
- Up-to-date research and innovation in chronic pain
- The use of several treatment modalities that work together fosters pain relief
You generally won’t experience these at your primary care physician’s office, which is why they often refer patients to us for help.
Contact Impact Medical Zephyrhills
Living with chronic pain is something that you don’t have to put up with anymore. Why not wave goodbye to your pain and visit our team at Impact Medical Zephyrhills? We have a wide range of professionals, including manual therapists, chiropractors, physical therapists, and primary care physicians, all under one roof to help you manage your pain.
Don’t wait. Let this year be the year you get help for your chronic pain. Schedule a pain management consultation by calling Impact Medical Zephyrhills today at (813) 706-5156!
