Pain isn’t created equal, and either is pain care. As a patient with such a highly individualized issue like chronic pain, you should be treated by someone who is going to do all they can to help you find a solution to your specific issue. Not all pain care providers are built the same, so it’s important that you take the time to find someone who is right for your situation.
But how do you know what you should be looking for in a pain management physician? We explain some traits and abilities you should look for when trying to find the right physician for your chronic pain issue.
Finding The Right Chronic Pain Specialist
When trying to find a specialist to help with your chronic pain issue, it’s important that you don’t just pick the closest physician to your house or the first one you come across in-network. You need to look at some other relevant factors if you want to give yourself the best chance at finding a physician who can treat your pain issue. Here’s what you’ll want to look for.
1. Depth Of Knowledge – Most general practitioners have a wide breadth of knowledge, and that allows them to provide professional care for a number of different issues. However, for a specific condition like chronic pain, you want to find someone with a deep knowledge and years of experience on the subject. Although we’ve noted that pain is highly specific to the individual, drawing on the experiences with past patients can make all the difference in finding a solution to the problem presented by the current patient. Find someone with years of experience in the specialized field of pain management.
2. A Listener – Does your current physician really take the time to listen to your story and apply those facts to your treatment, or do your words seem to be going in one ear and out the other? They say that “doctor knows best,” but that doesn’t mean the patient can’t provide crucial and relevant facts to assist in the treatment process. A great doctor really listens to the patient and uses this information to provide the best level of care. If you feel like you’re being treated as just another patient and the doctor seems to have their mind made up before you even get a chance to talk, consider looking for a different specialist to help with your pain.
3. Willing To Adjust – Another thing that both patient and provider need to be willing to do is adjust to roadblocks that develop, because they always do. If they didn’t, chronic pain would be easy to treat. Your provider needs to be able to look at the changing landscape of your pain condition and make adjustments to account for these potential obstacles to successful treatment. This may involve finding new forms of physical therapy, adjusting if pain injections are no longer as effective as they used to be, or consulting another professional when a problem proves mystifying. If you feel like you’re just trying the same old techniques that haven’t been working, why should you expect anything to ever change?
4. Seeks Long Term Solutions Over Short Term Relief – Any pain physician can write a prescription for painkillers and provide their patient with short term relief. It’s a passive solution that is like putting a band-aid on a bullet hole. Painkillers absolutely can be part of a comprehensive treatment plan, but they shouldn’t be the focal point of your care. You want a pain care provider that pursues active treatment options that will help you find long term relief. If your doctor isn’t working towards long term relief, switch physicians.
If you can find all four of these things in your care provider, odds are you’ll have an increased likelihood of regaining control over your pain condition. Dr. Cohn has done this for countless patients in the past, and he can do the same for you. For more information, or to set up an appointment, reach out to his clinic today.