How to Choose the Right Pain Management Doctor

If you’ve been living with chronic pain for a long time, you’ve probably tried a wide range of treatment options recommended by your primary care provider.

Maybe you’ve tried over-the-counter and prescription medications, physical therapy, injections, or even surgery, and you still haven’t found pain relief.

Perhaps your primary care doctor has even said there’s nothing more they can do for you. If that’s the case, it’s time to see a pain management doctor. A pain management doctor is a specialist who is trained in the latest techniques, therapies, and treatments to help patients manage their pain.

Choosing the right doctor is an important decision since this person will be a partner in your care and the key to finding effective pain relief. Before making your decision, you’ll need to consider many factors. Here are a few tips to help you find the pain management doctor who’s right for you.

Why find a pain management doctor?

Pain management doctors are physicians who receive specialized training to evaluate, diagnose, and treat chronic pain so they can help patients with a variety of conditions. After they have completed medical school and their residency, they complete additional residencies, internships, and fellowship training specifically to treat pain.

The field of pain management is complex and continues to change as new treatments and techniques become available. Pain management doctors are trained to understand the different types and sources of pain, use various tests to diagnose pain, and perform specialized procedures to treat and relieve pain.

Find out more about how to find a pain management doctor near you.

What to consider when choosing a pain management doctor

If you’re wondering when you should see a doctor about your chronic pain, consider the following:

• Have you been in pain for longer than 6 months?
• Is your pain keeping you from doing normal daily activities and interfering with your sleep?
• Is your pain getting worse and/or not responding to treatment?

Basically, if you’re experiencing chronic pain that has lasted for more than 6 months and gets in the way of everyday life, you should see a pain management doctor to explore what treatments are available.

Experience. When choosing a pain management doctor, experience matters. Most doctors will let you schedule a consultation during which you can ask questions and get to know them before committing to becoming a patient.

If you already have a diagnosis, ask how many patients with your specific condition the practice has treated. If you need a specific procedure, such as a spinal cord stimulator, ask how many procedures the practice has performed. The more experience the specialist or the practice has with a certain condition or procedure, the more likely it is they can help you with your chronic pain.

Of course, just because a pain management doctor doesn’t have decades of experience doesn’t mean they are not right for you. In fact, newer doctors have more recently completed their training and may be more likely to be knowledgeable about the newest techniques and treatments. Also, consider the whole practice. Newer physicians may partner with other doctors with many years of experience, so patients get the benefit of their collective experience.

Board certification. It’s also important to consider a doctor’s board certification. This means that a physician meets nationally accepted standards for knowledge and practice, ensuring that they maintain a certain quality of care. A doctor must be licensed in a state to practice medicine, but board certification shows they’ve achieved an additional step of proven expertise in their specialty.

Specialty. All pain management doctors are equally qualified to treat chronic pain. However, some specialize in treating only one type of condition. It’s important to understand this before choosing which doctor will be the best to help you with your pain.

For example, if your pain is the result of an accident at work, that’s different than pain caused by a sports injury or nerve damage. If you don’t know the exact cause of your pain, that’s OK, too. Ask potential doctors what conditions they specialize in and whether they can meet your needs. Many pain management practices have multiple doctors specializing in different types of conditions.

What to consider when choosing a pain management practice

Location. In addition to looking into potential pain management doctors’ experience, board certification, and specialty, it’s a good idea to consider some things about the practice, as well. For instance, location matters. If you’re going to multiple appointments per week, you’ll want to choose a practice location that’s close to your home or work and is convenient to get to.

Telehealth. You may want to find out whether the practice offers telehealth options as well. Many healthcare providers offer remote appointments by video, phone, chat, and/or email. These “virtual visits” don’t replace in-person office visits, but they can cut down on the number of times you have to go into the medical office.

Telehealth can be a convenient and efficient way to manage conditions that require you to monitor symptoms and vital signs at home and share those with your doctor, as well as for routine follow-ups. If your pain limits your mobility, virtual visits can be a great option.

Insurance. Of course, it’s important to check to see which pain management doctors accept your health insurance and what their payment options are. Will they expect payment for services at the time they’re rendered, or are they willing to set up a monthly payment plan? Find out before you decide on a doctor so you can calculate your out-of-pocket costs.

Treatment options offered. Before you choose a pain management doctor or practice, you’ll want to make sure they offer a wide range of treatment options for chronic pain. Often, patients end up taking a few different paths to manage their pain effectively. These may include:

• Medication
• Injections
• Physical therapy
• Surgery
• Spinal cord stimulation

A spinal cord stimulator is an effective treatment option for managing chronic pain, especially for people who haven’t found lasting pain relief with other treatments. And, it doesn’t have the same side effects or risk of addiction as many medications. For more information, read our article, Is a Spinal Cord Stimulator Right for Me?

Reviews. A good way to get a feel for whether a pain management practice is right for you is to read patient reviews. On Google, Facebook, or doctor rating sites like Healthgrades, reading what other people have to say can give you insight into how a doctor practices medicine and how their medical practice operates.

Patient reviews often discuss scheduling appointments, interacting with office staff, the length of wait times and the office environment. You can often find out how much time a doctor spends with their patients and whether they effectively answer questions and respond to messages.

Where to start looking for a pain management doctor

Your primary care doctor. If you’ve never seen or considered seeing a pain management doctor, you may be wondering where to start your search for one. A great place to start is by asking your primary care doctor or another doctor you know and trust for a referral. Your primary care physician knows you as a patient and is familiar with your health history. They also know what medications you’re taking and what pain treatments you may have already tried. You can ask your doctor to recommend a pain management doctor they know and have worked with and/or one who specializes in treating your particular condition.

Friends and family. Along with your doctor, you can also ask family, friends, or other people in your community for recommendations to pain management doctors in your area. If your pain is a result of a sports injury, for example, you might want to ask around at your gym or sports club for anyone who’s had a good experience with a pain management specialist. Word-of-mouth can be a great way to find a doctor.

Online. You can also do your own research online. Search for “pain management doctors in my area” and explore the doctors’ or practices’ websites to find out what conditions or treatments they specialize in. Oftentimes, doctors will have patient testimonials or reviews on their websites that can give you valuable information as well.

Find a Physician tool. There are thousands of pain management doctors across the U.S. who are available to help you find lasting pain relief. Nevro HFX offers a “Find a Physician” tool that you can search using your zip code to find pain management doctors near you.

Find a pain management doctor today

If you’re ready to talk to a pain management doctor about finding lasting relief for your chronic pain, don’t put it off any longer. You don’t have to live with pain. Reach out to your primary care doctor or find a pain management doctor in your area and call to schedule an appointment today.