A Phoenix pain management professional is a medical physician or doctor of Osteopathy who manages your pain caused by trauma, disease, or disorder. Although called Phoenix pain management also known as interventional pain management professionals, are typically anesthesiologists or doctors of physiatry. Phoenix pain management at Phoenix Pain Treatment Clinic is a multidisciplinary team consortium that includes your primary care physician or other treating physicians, and specialists in chiropractic, physical therapy, radiology, complementary alternative medicine, and other fields such as psychiatry, psychology, and even oncology.
Anesthesiology or physical medicine residency programs are the most common choices for doctors after graduating from medical school and completing a one-year internship. However, other fields such as neurology and psychiatry may also be considered for residency. Following completion of a residency program (which is typically three years in length), the doctor goes on to complete a one-year fellowship in pain medicine to receive advanced training.
A large number of Phoenix pain management doctors are certified by the American Board of Pain Medicine. All of the organizations that certify anesthesiologists, physiatrists, neurologists, and psychiatrists are working together to provide the board examination for the Pain Medicine subspecialty. Specialists in pain management continue their medical education and training throughout their professional lives. Pain management specialists have a variety of options for keeping up with the latest technological and medical advances in the field, including attending society meetings and reading peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Managing acute or chronic pain by reducing both the frequency and intensity of your pain is the ultimate goal of pain management medicine. An integrated pain management program may address your functional goals for activities of daily living, in addition to addressing your pain issues and other concerns. An overall goal of a pain management program is for you to feel better, be more active (including returning to work), and have less or no reliance on medication.
Pain Is Treated For A Variety Of Reasons.
Phoenix pain management doctors are trained to treat all types of discomfort. Acute pain is defined as severe or sharp in nature, and it may indicate that something is wrong. Acute pain is defined as pain that occurs immediately after a dental procedure. Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts for more than six months. This type of pain can range in intensity from mild to severe and is recurring. Pain associated with spinal arthritis (spondylosis) is frequently chronic. Despite the fact that chronic pain is difficult to manage, combining various treatments frequently results in a favorable outcome.
Appointments with pain management or interventional pain management doctors are very similar to other doctor appointments. However, despite the many similarities, the emphasis is on your pain, the cause or contributing factors, and quickly alleviating it or managing it.
Pain medicine doctors conduct a physical and neurological examination as well as a review of your medical history, with particular attention paid to your pain history, before prescribing treatment. Many questions about your pain may be asked of you, including the following:
Most Phoenix pain management doctors employ a standardized drawing of the front and back of the body, which allows you to mark the locations of pain as well as the spread and type of pain you are experiencing (eg, mild, sharp). It is possible that you will be asked to complete the form each time you see the pain doctor. The completed drawing will aid in the evaluation of your treatment progress and outcomes.
Pain medicine is concerned with determining the source or cause of discomfort. In order to make the proper diagnosis, you may be required to undergo an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI study in order to determine the source of your neck or back pain. During the course of treating spine-related pain (which may include symptoms in the arms or legs), other tests such as discography, bone scanning, nerve studies (including electromyography and nerve conduction study), and myelography may be performed. The ability to make an accurate diagnosis is critical to developing a successful treatment plan.
It may be necessary to consult with other specialists in order to treat some spinal disorders and pain, including your PCP (primary care physician), radiologists, psychiatrists, psychology, oncology, nursing, physical therapy, and chiropractic physicians. Phoenix pain management doctors may consult with and/or refer you to a neurosurgeon or orthopedic spine surgeon in order to determine whether or not your pain problem requires spinal fusion or other forms of spine surgery.
Phoenix Pain Management In A dedicated Spinal Pain Treatment Office
The skillsets required for diagnosis and treatment are the building blocks of the profession.
There are some essential tenets that can be used to gain a better understanding of the issues and then to develop a more successful management program. Each of these fundamentals is built on an underlying of concern, insight, and comprehensiveness.
Understanding of differential diagnosis and physical examination, as well as the ability to know when to order and interpret additional tests, are the fundamentals of caring for a patient. Having the best referral medical professionals or therapists to assist with treatment is also essential, as is the ability to be a highly regarded and precise surgeon, if surgery is the preferred treatment option, is also essential. Patient satisfaction is, without a doubt, dependent on the success of the treatment.
Phoenix Pain Management Doctors And Differential Diagnosis
The ability to distinguish between possible diagnoses is critical. Dr. William Osler, a well-known Harvard physician, made an insightful statement that most doctors take to heart. In other words, “You see what is familiar and find what you seek.” In other words, if you don’t know what can go wrong, you won’t be able to locate it if it does exist. What causes pain or symptoms, and how to diagnose it, must be known by the caregiver [treatment provider]. Both the science and art of medicine are based on this concept.
A patient can present with leg pain. The differential can include nerve pain, muscle pain, referral (sclerotomal) pain, spinal cord pain, and even poor circulation, or a blood clot. If the physician doesn’t think of the possibility of a blood clot, this could be a significant error. Even if the therapist had never had the experience of seeing a particular disorder, but has digested a significant amount of literature, he or she will be prepared to identify it. A physician has to be “on their toes” to be aware of possible misleading symptoms and have a good differential diagnosis.
Diagnostic Competence Of Our Phoenix Pain Doctors
Experience and comprehensive history and physical examination are the keys to diagnostic proficiency. It’s crucial to have a thorough history of the issues at hand. No, I don’t have a family history of back problems or even of non-back-related diseases like ulcerative colitis. In other cases, back pain may be caused by a comorbid condition and require a different approach to treatment. The treatment for psoriasis (a common skin condition) differs because of the potential spinal complications that can arise. In addition, it is necessary to find out whether there are any legal difficulties, such as car accidents or employment histories, and who may be to blame. Legal difficulties can cast a shadow over the past, necessitating specialized care.
A thorough assessment of an individual’s health is critical. Most diagnoses for lumbago or sciatica are based only on the patient’s medical history.
Physical Examination When Experiencing Pain
The physical examination must be thorough, and the examiner’s abilities are critical. Light can be shone on the tiny differences between various illnesses by looking at “shades of gray.” When a patient is experiencing pain, a diagnostician may need to distinguish between the plus-2 and the plus-1 reflexes, even if this may be a little different. The ability to conduct a thorough exam requires practice, attention to detail, and patience. To be a good examiner, you need to be careful.
A patient who had been experiencing leg discomfort and hurting for six weeks recently came into the office. This patient was also a chiropractor, and he or she was thinking about nerve discomfort based on the symptoms, which we also assumed. The patient had no pulse in the affected leg during the exam, despite the presence of probable nerve root pain. As it turns out, his leg was riddled with blood clots. This diagnosis could have been missed if the doctor hadn’t been careful enough in monitoring pulses.
Arizona Pain Center Confirmatory Testing
Additional tests (if any) can be used in conjunction with the original impression, and this is the second skill set (presumed diagnosis). A person must be able to order the correct tests as well as analyze the findings of those tests correctly. Interpreters (for example, radiologists) may not know how to interpret data if they don’t have all the clinical information. It’s possible that the results of the tests will reveal information that’s ambiguous.
The studies that use imaging of the spine include:
Our AZ Pain Doctors Educate You About Your Specific Pain Expression
The third and most critical quality is the ability to educate the patient about their basic disease. Patients need to be able to interpret the information in a way that is simple and straightforward. Using visual aids if necessary, this information must be given to the patient in an understandable manner. Treatment will be less successful and patient expectations for success will be clouded if a patient is unable to understand and appreciate the condition. Disabling low back pain is often shrouded in secrecy and misunderstood. Education solves this enigma and reduces the anxiety of uncharted territory.
Treatment Protocol Technique Phoenix Low Back Pain Doctor
Our pain doctors are highly skilled in creating a treatment plan that is reasonable, effective, and appropriate for you and your loved ones. We don’t prescribe a one size fits all treatment plan. Our Phoenix pain management doctors have unique skill-prescribing treatment protocols that will match your personal concerns as well as your personality. Even surgery may be necessary if all other options have failed or are too risky to try.
Expense-effectiveness in treatment is essential due to the high cost of medical care, which continues to rise year after year. You can trust that at Phoenix Pain Treatment Center in West Phoenix AZ, our pain management doctors are very adept at ordering additional diagnostics or therapy in an interdisciplinary environment. It’s not uncommon for a chiropractic physician to act as a quarterback and make several referrals and even to a spine surgeon or a neurosurgeon.