We have a pretty good idea of what patients are looking for in a pain management specialist. You want someone who is a good listener, someone who gives you their complete attention and someone who is willing to try different techniques if the first treatment doesn’t solve your chronic pain. But in order for chronic pain treatment to have the best chance at being successful, it’s not just about finding the right provider. The patient plays a key role as well.
Because of this, doctors are also hopeful that patients will have certain qualities throughout their time working with the physician. In today’s blog, we take a look at four things that your chronic pain specialist wants from you.
What Your Doc Wants From You
We know what you’re looking for in a physician, but here’s a look at four qualities we hope to find in a patient who has come to our office looking for help with a chronic pain condition.
1. Effective Communicator – We love it when patients can be clear and concise about the issues they are facing. Be vividly descriptive about your condition. Don’t just tell us that you have lower back pain, show us where it’s located, describe what your pain feels like (shooting, dull, pins-and-needle-like, etc.) and tell us what activities make pain worse or better. The more we know about your pain, the easier it will be to develop an individualized treatment plan for you.
2. Strong Work Ethic – One of the least favorite patients of any chronic pain specialist is the one who only wants to pursue passive treatments. They want to rest or take a pill and magically find relief. As we’ve said on this blog time and time again, rest and pain medications can absolutely be an integral part of a pain management plan, but they aren’t good standalone options. We want someone who is going to really throw themselves into a physical therapy program or commit to lifestyle changes to address their pain condition, even if they won’t be easy.
3. Don’t Give Up Easily – Winning out over your chronic pain condition isn’t going to be easy, but we’re in it for the long haul, and we hope you will be too. We may have to change strategies, try different approaches or see each other a few times over the course of many months. It’s going to be worth it in the end, but when it comes to chronic pain, there’s rarely an easy and straightforward solution, so we want patients that don’t give up when things get tough.
4. Rule Follower – Finally, the ideal patient will be a good listener and great follower of directions. If we tell you to do some moderate intensity exercises a few times a week, or we advise against certain activities, we expect you to follow through on your end because this is all part of your treatment plan. If you only attend some of your physical therapy sessions or you don’t work to improve your sleeping habits like advised, don’t be surprised if symptoms linger. We can’t be with you 24/7, so we need to have confidence that you’ll follow our advice when you’re not at the clinic.
If you have all of these qualities, or if you’re just struggling to get control over your chronic pain condition, we hope you’ll reach out to Dr. Cohn for assistance. Give our team a call today at (952) 738-4580.