When you feel pain, you should get rid of it as soon as possible. From this article, you’ll get to know how to search for a good pain management doctor and establish a rapport with them.
When you suffer from pain, you want to get rid of it as soon as possible. But no matter how intense your sensations are, you shouldn’t trust just any random doctor. From this article, you’ll get to know how to find a skilled and reliable specialist in your area quickly and with minimum effort. Apart from a comprehensive search guide, you’ll get valuable recommendations on how to prepare for a visit to a pain management doctor.
Get in Touch with Your Insurance Company
You should ask your insurance company about the requirements for finding a doctor in your network. They might require a recommendation from your primary care doctor. Or, they might offer you a list of out-of-network and in-network providers where you can start your search.
Consult with Your Primary Care Doctor
He or she already knows your previous health issues, so they will be likely to recommend you the most relevant professional or clinic. Moreover, your primary care doctor might provide you with precious insights into what could be causing your pain.
Talk to Your Friends and Family Members
Let them share their personal experiences with you, both positive and negative. Your dearest and closest friends and family members could be able to help you and they don’t have any ulterior motive like a contract with any doctors, so their answer will be genuine. They could advise you not only about the efficiency of the treatments they received but about other meaningful aspects too — such as the pain management clinic cleanliness or office environment and services provided there.
Use Online Search Tools
This can be, for instance, tripment.com. First, you should filter specialists that are available in your area. Then, you should primarily pay attention to the following aspects:
- Certifications and qualifications of the doctor whom you’re planning to see
- Their professional memberships or affiliations
- Reviews from their current and former patients
Once you have come across a professional that you like, put down the contact information for their clinic and make an appointment.
When comparing clinics in your area, you should focus on the assortment of their services. Rather often, patients need to visit multiple specialists and undergo diverse treatments to get rid of the pain. It would be great if the clinic that you choose has the following types of professionals working under one roof: physical therapists, massage therapists, psychologists, acupuncturists, biofeedback specialists and vocational rehabilitation experts.
Questions to Ask When Making an Appointment
To make sure that the clinic you’ve chosen is the right fit for you, you might want to ask them the following questions:
- What treatments do you offer?
- How are your pain management doctors trained?
- How do you treat my condition?
The staff from a good clinic should answer your questions promptly and comprehensively.
Additional Recommendations That Should Help You to Make the Most of Your Visit to a Pain Management Doctor
Come Prepared to Your Appointments
A pain management clinic in Arizona suggests that you make a list of concerns you might have. Be ready to ask your doctor about anything that worries you. Explain to them what kind of pain you’ve experienced in the past and which ones are new and unusual for you.
Between every two appointments, make a list of questions that have arisen since you last saw the doctor. Feel free to ask for a professional opinion on new research that affects your condition. If you fail to understand certain terms or phrases, never hesitate to double-check their meaning.
There is nothing wrong with asking a relative or caregiver to join you for the appointment. This is especially relevant for elderly people. Together, you will remember better what the doctor advises. During the visit, you can either keep notes manually or record the conversation on your smartphone.
Practice Good Doctor Communication
You should honestly describe how much something hurts, where exactly it hurts and what the timeframe of your pain attacks are. Plus, you should be ready to answer questions about your lifestyle and habits. Some patients might be shy to say that they smoke a lot or drink alcohol every day — but this information is vital because it might influence the choice of medications. You should find a doctor whom you trust and be completely transparent with them.
If you have problems with accessing care, let your medical specialist know about that. If you can’t afford certain medications or experience some other barriers, your doctor might be able to point you in the direction of an advocacy group or other resource to help.
Sometimes, a pain management doctor might say that your case doesn’t seem to be too serious, so you can skip additional testing. But if you don’t agree with their opinion, you should insist on your own viewpoint. Even the best doctor can’t literally look inside your body and experience your individual pain. So it might be wise to seek a second opinion and carry out further examinations.
Stay Informed
You might want to develop basic medical knowledge to better understand your doctor and prepare questions for them. The more informed you are, the higher your odds to reach a positive outcome in a relatively short time.
These are just a few examples of resources that you might want to check regularly:
- Arthritis Today
- Pain Pathways
- Science Daily’s health and medicine news page
- WebMD
- Harvard Health
- Mayo Clinic
They share high-quality articles written in a simple language. Every word of their texts is backed up with scientific evidence — but you don’t need to have a medical background to understand them.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this information came in handy and now you know how to search for a good pain management doctor in your area. Get in touch with your insurance company and primary care doctor. Use online search tools and talk to your friends and family members. Find a medical professional with whom you feel psychologically comfortable and try to come prepared for your appointments. The quicker you start a treatment course, the sooner you’ll get rid of pain and the fewer expenses it should involve.