In today’s society, with the growth of daredevil sports and freak accidents, there has been a rise in the need for pain management. This is really nothing new, considering the history of hard labor and injuries that built our country and culture. What is a surprise is the radical growth in the industry. However, for those in need, a pain management doctor in Thousand Oaks can be a lifesaver.
Like other doctors, pain specialists have earned their degree in medicine or osteopathy, and are licensed within the state they practice. Unlike some other doctors, though, they specialize in diagnosing the cause of pain and treating it to the best of their ability. They work with a patient’s primary care doctor to go beyond treating the injury or illness and make the pain livable.
A pain specialist goes into greater detail with a patient—where the pain is located, how long it has hurt, what (if anything) precipitated the pain, what makes the pain worse, or alleviates it to some degree. Then they find methods of treatment to manage the pain that don’t affect the patient’s lifestyle more than necessary. In some cases, this can mean surgery or physical therapy. For others, it could be medication or electrical stimulation. Because of a rise in pain medication abuse around the country, pain specialists have been looked down upon in recent years. Most doctors, though, do not prescribe unnecessary medication. They will try every other possibility before giving a patient medication.
Whether due to injury or disease, people have had to change their lifestyles, cutting out certain activities due to the pain. This doesn’t have to be the only answer, though. By using an individual mindset—treating each patient and each condition as a unique entity—doctors can find an approach that works for that particular person. There is less of a “this generally works” attitude and more patient-specific care.
No one wants to give up their favorite activities, but chronic pain has become a way of life for many people. A pain management doctor helps his or her patients find the best way to live with this pain and have a full, busy, productive life.