Specialty and Importance of Chronic Pain Management
According to the National Institutes of Health, around 25.3 million Americans (11.2 percent) suffer from pain on a daily basis for a period lasting over 3 months. 126 million adults (55.7 percent) have suffered from at least some sort of pain in the 3 months prior to the survey being taken.
Those who deal in pain management are known as pain management specialists. A pain management specialist is a trained physician who is trained to evaluate, diagnose and treat pain disorders. Many factors come into play when diagnosing a patient with chronic pain. A pain specialist will generally take into account the patient’s behavioral pattern, family history and how long the patient has been suffering from pain.
The Importance of Pain Management:
There are various reasons why individuals suffer from the effects of chronic pain. It can depend on the person’s behavioral pattern, if they are chronic smokers, abuse prescription drugs or, it can depend on their family background, i.e., chronic pain is in their family history.
Regardless, it is important to get treatment for pain if it persists for more than 12 weeks.
Chronic pain can have drastic effects on the physical and psychological well-being of the person suffering. It can socially isolate them as they would be in too much pain to enjoy time spent with friends and family, as they will not be able to participate in recreational activities.
Due to the fact that so many people suffer from chronic pain, pain management has become a specialized field. Pain clinics have specialists who use multidisciplinary methods to help alleviate pain. These can be through physical therapy or via medication.
Depending on the disorder or the level of pain an individual suffers from, pain specialists either prescribe medicines such as non-aspirin based drugs like acetaminophen, for mild pain, and opioids for those who suffer from severe pain, such as those who have cancer.
Getting treatment for chronic pain helps normalize the patient’s life. Being constantly in pain can be damaging to the growth of an individual because they are unable to work, take part in activities or socialize. It also makes them prone to outbursts, which damages their relationship with their family or friends.
Through pain management, individuals can become a normal part of society, get their life back on track and not worry about the agonizing pain that has been damaging their life.
The number of therapies promising pain relief has become popular in the past decade or so. These programs include natural therapies such as yoga and acupuncture, making it difficult for those who specialize in pain management to find jobs. If you are a pain specialist looking for pain management jobs, contact Medical Associates Consulting today.
