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A pain management doctor should first be a medical doctor (M.D.) or a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) and be licensed in wherever the state they are planning to pursue their practice. They generally are certified by a board which governs their specialty.

A Pain Management Doctor’s Focus

A pain management doctor mainly focuses on your ability to function normally despite the fact that you are living with a chronic pain. Their sole purpose is to help you manage pain so that it ultimately improves the quality of your life. By this, you will be able to perform your daily work activities, living activities and leisure activities with your pain being under control which is the sole aim of the pain management doctors.

A pain management doctor makes use of various treatment methods to control the chronic pain. The doctors who are responsible for primary care prescribe and use similar treatment modalities, but on the other hand a pain management doctor solely focuses on controlling the pain. When a primary doctor finds it challenging to bring a patient's pain under control, usually that is when a referral is made to the specialist for further treatment.

Treatment by a Pain Management Doctor

The pain management doctor will ensure that an optimal treatment plan is created for you. He will begin by assessing the treatments that you have already tried. He definitely wants to know the circumstances under which you first experienced pain, what brings an increase in your pain level and also what brings about a decrease. He will also inquire about the goals you have set for yourself and how far away you currently are from your goals. Then he will design a plan to help you accomplish them.

You will have to undergo a physical examination if necessary, and the doctor will study the results analyzing the possible reason for the pain. He will try to get an overall picture of the situation you are going through before making any recommendations for treatment. Suppose you have already tried oral pain medications, more sophisticated devices may be used by the doctor to achieve a therapeutic level for your pain medications. He may also use an implantable device or a pain pump. As time passes by, the pain management doctor may alter your medication dose and add or subtract various techniques which control pain. It all depends on how well you are responding to the treatment.

Treatment types used by Pain Management Doctors

There are a variety of treatment modalities which are used to manage pain. Also, there are many steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs that, when used appropriately will help manage pain. Your pain management doctor will more likely be ready to tread into the area of alternative medicine than your primary doctor. Meditation, Hypnosis, biofeedback and acupuncture may also be considered.