The 3 Main Goals of Pain Medicine as a Medical Specialty
Did you know that future doctors do not receive a lot of training in pain medicine while in medical school? It’s true. Moreover, that lack of training contributes to the reality that GPs and family doctors don’t really know how to help patients with chronic pain. But pain medicine specialists do. When pain medicine doctors treat patients, they do so with established goals in mind.
Pain medicine has not always been accepted as a legitimate specialty. But things have changed over the last decade or so. Today, pain medicine is on par with internal medicine, cardiology, radiology, etc. Doctors can now complete their initial medical training and then go on to specialize in pain medicine.
In learning about pain medicine, they also learn about the three main the goals of the specialty:
1. Pain Relief
The first goal is obvious: pain relief. A majority of the patients referred to pain medicine doctors are experiencing persistent pain. This is to say their pain lasts longer than would normally be expected for whatever condition they are dealing with.
Many of their patients are chronic pain sufferers. They have been living with pain for months or years. The worst cases involve patients whose pain is completely debilitating. Yet regardless of a patient’s circumstances, the top priority is pain relief.
If you have never lived with persistent pain, you might not understand that it is more than just a physical issue. Persistent pain also wears on a person’s thoughts and emotions. Debilitating pain can even lead patients to total despair.
2. Restored Function
Pain is often a warning sign that something is wrong. The natural human tenancy is to avoid activities that cause pain so as not to exacerbate the problem at hand. Unfortunately, avoiding activity is one of the worst things a patient with persistent pain can do. It only leads to loss of function.
The pain medicine doctors at Lone Star Pain Medicine in Weatherford, TX explain that helping patients regain function is a critical part of relieving their pain. Regaining function improves muscle strength and support. And stronger muscles better able to support the body make it easier to move without pain.
So many patients with persistent pain find themselves battling an ongoing cycle involving pain and loss of function. They limit their activities in order to limit their pain. As a result, they lose function. That loss of function leads to more pain, and so on. Breaking the cycle is a big deal.
3. Normal Life
Finally, the third goal of pain medicine is to help a patient return to normal life. The definition of normal can vary, especially since a patient’s medical condition may force permanent lifestyle changes. But whatever a patient considers normal life within the constraints of their condition becomes the goal. Pain medicine doctors work with their patients to reach that goal.
Having personal experience caring for someone with persistent pain, I know how important this is. Helping a person return to some semblance of normalcy can lift the person’s spirits. It can promote a more positive attitude and a better outlook on life. In turn, better mental health can help further reduce pain.
The pain medicine specialty has come a long way over the years. Today’s pain doctors have access to treatments patients cannot get from their GPs. More importantly, their pain medicine doctors approach care from the perspective of reaching the three goals described in this post. Needless to say, pain medicine goes above and beyond mere prescriptions. It’s a much-needed specialty for millions of Americans.