Ask The Experts
How long must one suffer from pain before one decides enough is enough? Great question! The classic answer to this question for a patient suffering from acute lower back pain is six weeks. Typically conservative care is started and these include rest, ice, heat, and over the counter medications. Unfortunately, 72% of people continue to have pain after this acute pain period. When pain lasts longer than 3 months pain it is considered to be chronic. When one has chronic pain, they should definitely seek medical care from a qualified pain specialist. At Arizona Pain Specialists we have many treatment modalities from multiple disciplines that we can offer our patients from the first day that they begin to experience pain. That being said, it also depends on the nature of your pain. Everybody has pain that occurs from time to time, but I believe you should seek treatment when your pain is affecting your ability to do the things that you would normally do on a daily basis. In other words, is your pain affecting your quality-of- life? I always tell my patients the focus is function, function, function! We often use this as a gauge to monitor progress of treatment. Is your function improving? Can you walk further, can you shop, can you swim…? Is your pain the same or is it getting worse? Apply this concept to your pain now. Has the pain that you experience affected your function? If the answer is “Yes” then seek help! We also have patients who come in with occasional pain. They often ask, “I only have minor pain – is it ok that I’m here?” or “I’m not in pain today, but can I still see you?” My answer is always the same, “Yes!” I tell them, “Let’s evaluate you, maybe order some tests to make sure nothing is being missed, and have you entered in our medical system; just in case your pain returns.” Also, I often recommend over the counter treatments. One of the main reasons that I joined Arizona Pain Specialists is because of our comprehensive approach. I feel that this approach is what sets our practice apart from other pain clinics. First of all, we work as a cohesive team to tackle your pain. Our team members are all highly trained and have varying backgrounds. It is exciting for us to tell our patients that each of our pain doctors trained at one of the top three accredited fellowships in the US. Each of the docs are also double-board certified in our primary specialty as well as pain management. Now, I do not bring this point up to boast about our achievements or accolades, but I do think it is very important because of this simple reason: If I were to send my family member to any specialist I would want to make sure, at a minimum, that the specialist was trained and boarded to the highest standard in the United States. Why? I believe it translates into better patient care! The other part that I must underscore is the fact that our team is not just made up of physicians. We have excellent chiropractors, acupuncturists, a behavioral specialist, a naturopathic physician, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and a pain management research team. This combination of providers and experts truly gives Arizona Pain Specialists a unique advantage when it comes to treating pain. In essence, it allows us to apply a ‘custom plan’ for each patient. A description of how we might implement our custom, multi-disciplinary approach would be as follows: Imagine two people coming to a pain clinic, both reporting low back pain. In some pain clinics, both patients would be prescribed the same treatment, though the cause and pain levels may be different. But as a pain practice that offers a comprehensive approach to pain management, we would first use the appropriate diagnostic steps to guide us in our treatment. History and physical exam are crucial, along with MRI, nerve conduction tests, diagnostic nerve blocks, etc. After this thorough evaluation, one of these patients may see the pain specialist for a muscle-relaxant, the chiropractor for decompression of the spine, and a behavioral specialist for relaxation techniques, while the other patient may receive a targeted epidural steroid injection from the specialist and a session with our acupuncturist. By visiting a clinic offering multiple modalities for pain treatment and a team approach, pain is effectively treated on a personalized level. No two people are the same; pain should be treated on an individual basis. For all those who suffer from chronic pain, I want to offer you hope…we can help! If you suffer from chronic pain (longer than three months), don’t delay, call us. Back to Arizona Pain Monthly
