How Would I Know that It’s Time for Me to See a Pain Doctor?

24 Mar How Would I Know that It’s Time for Me to See a Pain Doctor?

Would you believe that pain is one of the most common concerns that sends people to the doctor’s office? It makes sense. Pain is often a warning sign of something else. It is also uncomfortable. Despite all that, there are times when a GP or primary care physician cannot do much to help a patient. Then it’s off to see a pain doctor – like those here at Lone Star Pain Medicine.

Here is the million-dollar question: how would a patient know that it’s time to see a pain doctor? Is the answer relative, or are there specific signs a patient could look for?

Unfortunately, there is no specific litmus test that draws a line between continued visits to your primary care provider and making an appointment with a pain doctor. But there are some very legitimate reasons for considering treatment from a pain management specialist. Here are five of them:

1. Your Pain Is/Has Been Persistent

The natural human inclination is to allow most incidents of pain to self-resolve over time. In fact, that’s what we tend to expect. But when pain is persistent, it is another matter. The first legitimate reason for visiting a pain doctor is to deal with pain that has persisted over a significant amount of time. How much time? There is no black-and-white answer to that.

Chronic pain is defined differently depending on who you talk to. As a general rule, pain that is felt either daily or almost daily for at least three months is considered chronic. By its nature, chronic pain is not adequately relieved by therapies offered by a GP or primary care physician. So suffering with chronic pain is a good reason to visit a pain doctor.

2. Pain Interrupts Daily Activities

Yet another human inclination relating to pain is that of continuing to perform daily functions despite not feeling well. If you can work through the pain with very little interruption, that’s one thing. But if pain is preventing you from attending to daily activities with the level of attention you would prefer, you could be on the road to more serious disruptions later on. It is worth seeing a pain doctor to try to get a handle on the situation.

3. Your Pain Radiates

Pain that radiates to other parts of the body does not necessarily indicate something life threatening, but it does hint to an underlying cause that probably cannot be adequately addressed in a GP’s office. When pain radiates throughout the entire body, it is probably time to see a pain doctor.

As a side note, radiating pain with associated strange sensations ups the ante. A pain management specialist is the most qualified clinician to help.

4. Your Quality of Life Is Reduced

A fourth reason to visit the pain doctor is the desire to take your life back. One of the things chronic pain does is rob a person of life’s quality. On the other hand, one of a pain doctor’s specialties is helping improve quality of life.

5. You Are Concerned About Pain Medication

Finally, concerns about pain medication are a legitimate reason to visit a pain doctor. Medication is just one option for treating pain. There are others worth exploring, especially if you don’t like the idea of treating exclusively with medication for the rest of your life.

Pain doctors are specialists in pain management. If you have pain and you have experienced any of the scenarios described in this post, would you consider visiting our Weatherford, TX clinic? Our pain doctors are ready to help.