Treat your pain and live a better life…

best-pain-doctor-nycWelcome to my blog about pain. Unfortunately, many people suffer from chronic pain. As a board certified physician in physical medicine and rehabilitation, my specialty is treating these people with both acute and chronic pain.

A majority of my practice is working with patients that are experiencing back and neck pain.

My goal with this blog is to help patients who are experiencing any type of back or neck pain to understand what is causing their pain and discuss options that are available to end their pain. I hope to be able to provide readers with a portal that they can can use to educate themselves and facilitate treatment.

My specialty is my Interventional Spine Skills including cervical and lumbar epidural steroid injections, facet injections, medial branch blocks, Radiofrequency ablation, sympathetic ganglion blocks, spinal cord stimulator trials, sacroiliac joint injection, piriformis muscle block and musculoskeletal joint injection. I also perform many other procedures to alleviate acute and chronic pain.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it and observing people from all over the world reading it.

– Matthew Grimm, M.D.

Category Archives: Pain Management

What Training Does A Pain Management Doctor Have?

A pain management doctor or specialist evaluates, examines, and treats different types of pain. A pain management doctor treats sudden and long-lasting pain. Sudden pain includes headache, while chronic pain, such as lower back pain, falls under long-lasting pain. Pain management doctors can relieve different types of pain conditions, allowing patients to go home the same day. Pain management doctors understand the mechanisms behind different types of pain. They suggest medications, plan therapies, and perform surgeries to treat painful conditions.

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Different Types of Pain Management Treatment

Pain management specialists help patients with pain that falls under three major groups. When you develop tissue injury pain, such as in arthritis, you can visit a pain management doctor. They can also help you with conditions affecting the nervous system, as well as the pain related to these conditions, such as stroke. The third and last type of pain is associated with nerve and tissue injury, such as back pain.

1.     Disorders Related to Tissue Pain

  • Rheumatoid arthritis (arthritis related to autoimmune system in tiny joints such as wrists and fingers)
  • Osteoarthritis (arthritis related to wear and tear in the large joints such as hips and knees)

2.     Disorders Related to Nerve Pain

  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Stroke (post-stroke pain)
  • Neuropathy (nerve pain due to diabetes and HIV)
  • Spinal cord injury

3.     Mixed Pain Disorders

  • Back pain
  • Neck pain
  • Cancer

Education and Training of a Pain Management Doctor

Pain management doctors receive nine years of medical education and training. First, they gather basic knowledge from a medical school. Then, they gain four years of hands-on training in different fields such as anesthesiology, neurology, rehabilitation, and physical medicine. At last, they receive an additional one year of training that focuses on treating pain. Once they complete this one-year pain management course, they receive certification from the American Board of Pain Medicine.

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A Diverse Treatment Approach

When a patient visits the general doctor for treatment, they start off with primary care. Patients receive pain medications and physical therapy, depending on the diagnosis. However, when a general doctor notices the complication of the pain, they recommend consulting with a pain management doctor. As pain management doctors have a higher degree in treating pain, they carefully examine the patient and suggest a suitable treatment plan.

  1. Upon visit, the doctor prescribes medications such as muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory medicine, and anti-depressants. Furthermore, they also inject a numbing solution in the affected area to reduce pain. These solutions include spinal injections or nerve blocks. The doctor may use Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulators or TENS to generate electric impulses on the nerves.
  2. When the doctor doesn’t notice any effective results from the first line of defense, they move to the second. In this group, the doctor will perform advanced procedures such as viscosupplementation or radiofrequency ablation. During RFA, the doctor introduces chemicals and heat agents to block the pain signals. This technique is effective in chronic conditions, such as arthritis of the spine. On the other hand, viscosupplementation is a lubricating fluid that the doctor injects into joints. If you experience any unusual pain in the body, you can consult with Dr. Matthew Grimm, one of the best pain management doctors in NYC.
  3. The third line of treatment includes implants with a spinal cord stimulator or a pain pump. These treatments relieve different types of pain, such as spinal pain. When the cushion or cervical disk between your spinal bones degenerates, the doctor will implant a synthetic disc for flexibility and reducing pain.

Find a Qualified Pain Management Doctor

While searching for a pain management doctor, you need to ensure that the doctor has a board certificate in pain management. The board includes the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, American Boards of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, or the American Board of Anesthesiology. If your state doesn’t require board certification, you need to check if the physician has appropriate training in the field of pain management. Also, ensure that they have published peer-reviewed research in the field. These factors can identify if a pain management doctor is reputable, qualified, and credible to treat conditions related to pain.

Pain Management Doctor: Conclusion

If you are looking for a pain management specialist in New York City, consult with Dr. Matthew Grimm. Dr. Grimm is highly trained in managing acute and chronic conditions.

Call for an appointment or consultation at 646-862-5555.

Pain Management Doctor

What is a Pain Management Doctor?

A pain management doctor is a physician with special training in diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of all types of pain. Pain is a wide spectrum of disorders such as chronic pain, acute pain, cancer pain, and a combination of all these.

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You can also suffer from pain because of many reasons such as injury, nerve damage, surgery, and metabolic problems such as diabetes. Sometimes, pain can be a problem itself, without causing any other problem.

What Does a Pain Management Doctor Do?

As medical technology is advancing, we are getting information about the complexities of pain. Thus, it is important to take help from a person with special knowledge and skills to treat pain. A pain management specialist has in-depth knowledge of the physiology of pain, the ability to determine the reason for pain, and conduct tests to diagnose the pain.

They give appropriate recommendations and prescribe medications and have the skills to perform different procedures. Moreover, experts are working on various new treatments for the pains and conditions in the human body. The researchers are formulating complex and new drugs, technologies, and techniques every year to treat the pain more efficiently.

The pain management specialist has the expertise to use all this knowledge effectively and safely to help patients. Not to mention, these health providers play an important role in giving and suggesting additional care such as physiological therapy, physical therapy, and rehabilitation programs.

Types of Pain

Pain management doctors can treat different types of pain that usually fall into three separate groups. The first group indicates the pain caused by direct tissue injury, such as arthritis. The second type of pain is due to nervous system injury or nerve injury, such as stroke. Finally, the last group includes the pain that happens due to tissues and nerve injury both, such as back pain.

Disorders due to Tissue Injury

  • Osteoarthritis is the wear and tear arthritis in the large joints, including hips and knees.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis occurs due to the autoimmune reaction. Patients feel it in joints like wrists and fingers.

Disorders due to Nerve or Nervous System

  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Stroke
  • Neuropathy caused by HIV, shingles, diabetes
  • Spinal cord injury

Disorders due to Mixed pain

  • Neck pain
  • Cancer
  • Back pain

What Qualities to Look for in Your Doctor?

Effective communication is important to build a good relationship between doctors and patients, leading to great treatment results. But there are other qualities your doctor must have

Look for the following qualities in pain management doctor.

  • Wide knowledge of pain disorders
  • Ability to diagnose patients with serious and difficult pain problems
  • Prescribing the right medications
  • An ability to conduct specialized tests to identify the source of pain
  • Skills in different procedures
  • Have a good network of doctors to recommend patients for physical therapy, surgical evaluation, and psychological support.
  • Up to date equipment
  • Helpful office staff

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What Should You Expect on Your First Visit to a Pain Management Specialist?

  • On your first visit, your doctor will try to understand your condition and begin to evaluate your pain problems. This involves taking your detailed history, reviewing tests, and conducting a physical exam. Pain management specialists want to identify the source of the pain, which is why they ask so many questions.
  • Sometimes they give you a questionnaire even before your first visit that contains detailed questions about your problems and where it occurs in your body. They may also ask you to bring any medical history you have, such as computed tomography (CAT) scans, X-rays, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Before going to a doctor, you should also know whether you have enough energy to go through this process by driving yourself. If not, then take someone with you to help you.
  • Most importantly, your first visit is only an opportunity for your doctor to analyze you from head to toe and discuss the initial assessment of your pain problem. Your doctor may get an idea in the first evaluation of your pain, or they can ask you to do more tests for better understanding. No matter what pain you have, you should consider this first visit as the first step of many steps to get relief from pain.

Bottom Line

Pain management doctors have a responsibility to diagnose your pain and treat it most accurately and effectively. If they fail to identify or treat the main source of pain, you may face further problems or complications.

Consult with Dr. Matthew Grimm, MD, who has years of experience treating all types of pain. Call us at 646-862-5555 or book an appointment with our pain management specialist to get help in managing your pain.

Different Types of Pain

This article will help you understand different types of pain and their reasons. If you experience any symptoms, consult your pain management doctor.

Types of Pain
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Your body may experience different types of pain due to any underlying health problem or without any cause. Either way, they are painful and disturb your daily life. If you face any type of pain mentioned below, you need to consult your doctor as early as possible to get treatment before it gets worse.

Types of Pain

Acute Pain

This is one of the most common types of pain, which is a short term pain. In this case, you will feel a sudden pain due to a specific cause, typically tissue injury. Mostly, it lasts for six months and completely goes when you get it treated.

You may also feel sharp or intense pain when it is improving. The common causes of acute pain can be:

  • broken bones
  • dental work
  • surgery
  • cuts
  • labor and childbirth
  • burns

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is the one that lasts for more than six months, even when your injury gets healed. Moreover, you may feel this pain for years; the intensity can range from mild to severe. According to a study, chronic pain is common in adults in the United States.

Past damages or injuries can lead to chronic pains. However, sometimes it can happen without any cause. Without treatment, chronic pain can greatly affect your quality of life. As a result, patients with chronic pain start to suffer from depression and anxiety.

Symptoms that can accompany this pain include:

  • Tense muscles
  • Limited mobility
  • Lack of energy

Following are some common examples of this type of pain:

  • Frequent headaches
  • Fibromyalgia pain
  • Low back pain
  • Nerve damage pain
  • Arthritis pain

Nociceptive Pain

You may have heard about the nociceptive pain. It occurs because of the stimulation of nociceptors sensory receptors due to tissue injury. You have these pain receptors throughout your body, especially in your internal organs and skin.

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When they detect signals from the damaged tissue or any other harm, such as a cut, they send electrical signals to the brain, making you feel the pain. Nociceptive pain usually occurs when you suffer from any type of injury or inflammation. This pain can be either chronic or acute. Doctors can further classify it as somatic or visceral.

Visceral

Visceral pain is not a common pain as it occurs from damages or injuries to your internal organs. Patients can feel it in the trunk of their bodies, including the abdomen, chest, and pelvis. Generally, it is hard to identify the location of this pain.

Visceral pain can also feel like:

  • Pressure
  • Squeezing
  • Aching
  • Cramping

You can also feel other symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, as well as various changes in body heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature. Some of the examples of diseases or disorders that can cause visceral pain include:

  • Gallstones
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Appendicitis

Somatic

It occurs when pain receptors in your tissue start to stimulate instead of stimulation in your internal organ. This includes muscles, skin, connective tissues, joints, and bones. Generally, it is easy to identify the location of the pain.

You may feel a continuous gnawing pain or aching sensation. It can also be deep or superficial than visceral pain. For instance, a tear in a tendon can lead to deep somatic pain, and a canker sore on the inner cheek can make you suffer from superficial somatic pain.

Examples of this pain include:

  • Bone fractures
  • Connective tissue diseases
  • Strained muscles
  • Skin cuts, burns, and scrapes
  • Cancer that affects the skin or bones
  • Joint pain, such as arthritis pain

Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain occurs because of the damages or dysfunction of your nervous system. The damaged or dysfunctional nerves send pain signals. You may feel pain in the response of things which were not painful before, such as clothing or cold air stringing on your skin.

Neuropathic pain can feel like:

  • Burning
  • Numbness
  • Electric shocks
  • Freezing
  • Tingling
  • Stabbing
  • Shooting

Diabetes is one of the most common reasons for neuropathic pain. Other causes can be nerve dysfunction. Injuries or factors that lead to neuropathic pain also include:

  • Accidents
  • High level of alcohol consumption
  • Infections
  • Facial nerves problems, including Bell’s palsy
  • Shingles
  • Spinal nerve compression or inflammation
  • HIV
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Radiation
  • Chemotherapy drugs
  • Central nervous system diseases or disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis

Consult the Spine Center of NYC for Pain Management

All these types of pain can make you suffer for longer periods. They can get worse if you don’t consult a pain management doctor to get treatment. Call Matthew Grimm, MD, the best pain management specialist in NYC.

Visit our website or call us on 646-862-5555 to book an appointment with our pain management doctor. We have qualified and experienced doctors who help you eliminate your pain at its source.

What Is A Pain Management Specialist?

Physicians who get special training in treating all kinds of pain are pain management specialists. The reasons for pain may vary from person to person. The pain may be a result of injury, chronic conditions, surgeries or nerve damage.

Pain Management Specialist NYC

What Is Pain Management?

Pain management may be simple or it can be complex depending on the reasons of pain. To manage pains, like chronic pain, is a challenge for both pain management specialists and the patient. The main goals of pain management are:

  • To increase flexibility and mobility
  • To decrease pain
  • To helps in decreasing medical complications of pain
  • To provide relief to patients
  • To restore physical, social and emotional functions

What Does Pain Management Specialists Do?

A pain management specialist approaches the problem from every angle and recognizes the complex nature of pain. They minimize pain instead of eliminating it. These specialists improve the functions and increase the quality of life of the people who suffer. Pain management specialist uses various medications and techniques like nerve blocks, spinal cord stimulators, and similar treatments to help reduce pain.

Specialty Areas

Pain management specialists have certification in one of the following specialties.

1.     Neurology

In this specialized field, a neurologist focuses on treatment and the diagnosis of the spinal cord and brain. The common cause of chronic pain is spinal cord related injuries and diseases.

2.     Anesthesiology

Physicians who administer anesthetics are Anesthesiologists. Anesthetics are substances that eliminate or reduce the sensitivity of pain. To treat acute and chronic pain some, anesthesiologists go through additional training in pain management.

3.     Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

To address painful conditions, physical medicine and rehabilitation doctors use a wide variety of nonsurgical treatments. These painful conditions are related to the musculoskeletal and nervous system. They recover patients’ quality of life by increasing function and decreasing pain.

Roles of Pain Management Specialist

Top Pain Management Specialist New YorkA pain management specialist has special training in treatment, evaluation, and diagnosis of types of pain. Pain can occur due to a variety of disorders that may include acute pain, cancer pain or chronic pain. The different causes of pain can be surgery, nerve damage, injury, metabolic problems like diabetes, etc. Pain can also occur without any specific reason. Roles of Pain Management Specialist include:

  • Having in-depth knowledge about the physiology of pain
  • Calculating complications of the patient’s pain
  • Conducting specialized tests for diagnosing conditions of pain
  • Prescribing the medications of pain problems
  • Performing procedures like nerve blocks, spinal injections, etc
  • Getting ongoing training to get knowledge of medications as new and complex drugs, techniques, and technologies become available every year

1.     Non-Drug, Non-Surgical Pain Management

These kinds of programs include:

  • Physical Therapy – These techniques help in correcting secondary problems of pain. Treatments include; Exercise, awareness, posture and to improve body mechanics. It helps to increase flexibility and strength.
  • Massage Therapy – Massage Therapy helps to manipulate soft tissues.
  • Movement Therapy – It works by muscle movements and pain management specialists advise patients to do yoga and tai chi.
  • Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Simulation Therapy – These kinds of therapy can interfere with the body’s pain signals. It works by transmitting painless, mild electric shocks that pass through the skin to the source of pain.

2.     Medications for Pain Management

For the treatment of pain, a pain management specialist can also provide medications:

  • Muscle Relaxants – This type of medication helps the central nervous system relax. Different Muscle relaxants work differently.
  • Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs – These medicines block the chemical cascade that causes pain and inflammation in the body. Most common medication includes; aspirin and ibuprofen.
  • Antiseizure Medications – These types of medications can treat nerve damage pain. It helps with interfering with the overactive transmission of pain signals to the brain.

3.     Interventional Pain Management

Also by placing devices and injecting injectables, pain management specialists provide pain relief to the body. Some of the treatments are mentioned below:

  • Epidural Steroid Injections – These injections take minimum recovery time and their benefits include reduction of nerve inflammation and pain in the spine.
  • Joint, muscle/tendon injections – For joint and tendon injections, patients should be under ultrasound guidance along with different medications.

Conclusion

As pain management specialists, we can help you with pain to get back to normal life. We know what the causes of your pain are and if you have any diagnostic needs. To give a visit to our clinic for an experienced pain management specialist, simply call at 646-862-5555. Book an appointment with our Pain Management Doctor for further guidance about your pain.

Pain in Men vs. Women

In recent years there has been much research regarding differences experiencing pain in men vs. women. The expansive literature in this area signifies that men and women have different responses to pain. Higher pain sensitivity and risk for clinical pain is more common in women. Although there is no specific etiological basis that underlies the sex difference in pain. However, certain biological and psychosocial factors may contribute to different responses to pain.

Possible Factors for Sex Difference Regarding Pain

Studies also suggest that men and women differ in responsiveness to pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain intervention. The genes have an important role in pain sensitivity. Structural changes in genotype among men and women could be a possible factor. Endogenous opioid-functioning could be another factor. It regulates the receptors in your body that are responsible for pain. It is important to realize here that response to pain, however, can be a subjective matter as well.

Psychosocial factors such as early-life exposure to stress and suffering pain might elucidate the sex difference in pain. Moreover, the gender-stereotyping notion has also contributed to the difference in expressing and responding to pain. Much of this stereotyping is quite common in different countries and cultures of the world.

One must not ignore factors like behavioral responses to children when they complain about pain and their after effects on a person’s life. A child might stop complaining about pain altogether if a common response to his/her complain is scolding and shouting. A similar response to pain in children can be a result of parents telling them to face the pain toughly.

Sex hormones can also have an impact on pain. Testosterone is believed to have an analgesic effect and that’s why men’s response to certain pains is calmer than women’s. As a result of hormonal differences, women experience more chronic pain than men when they have back problems. Decreased levels of progesterone and estrogen after menopause can make a woman’s body vulnerable to inflammation and pain.

Regardless of the medical condition, women seem to report feeling more pain than men. Studies have suggested the same elevated sensitivity to pain in women when it comes to serious chronic illnesses like arthritis, diabetes, etc.

The difference in Backache and Spine Related Problems

Epidemiological stats tell us that women have complained more about acute and chronic pain.  Several factors make women a little more susceptible to backache and vertebral problems than men.

Pregnancy and childbirth increase the chances of a herniated disk. Lifting a heavy child for a long time can further elevate the risk of backache and vertebral disk problems.

Calcium deficiencies and bone-related diseases are twice as common as in men.  About one in every three women has a calcium deficiency. Change in diet and lifestyle has more contributed to calcium deficiencies resulting in weaker bones in women these days.

With weaker bones, risks of bone disparities, and pain becomes high. Osteomyelitis, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis have become women-associated diseases. Women also get more knee replacement surgeries than men.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Backache problems and spinal conditions are serious for both men and women. If you have backache or pain in arms and legs that is causing you discomfort, then you must not ignore.  

Contact Dr. Matthew Grimm at 646-862-5555 to book a consultation. Spine New York City specializes in general pain and spinal conditions.

Methods to Manage Chronic Pain

If you are living with a physical discomfort arising from your back or spine for longer than three months, you have developed chronic back pain. While many people neglect the pain, it can lead to severe ailments. Therefore, it is necessary to visit a pain doctor to prevent severity. Discuss the symptoms with your doctor to identify the source of the condition. This way, your doctor will give you a comprehensive treatment plan. While over-the-counter (OTC) medications can help manage the pain, you may also need to undergo multiple treatments, which include:

  • Psychological counseling
  • Relaxation techniques
  • Exercise
  • Acupuncture
  • Physical therapy

No doubt, managing chronic pain is complex because what can work best for one patient may not be effective for another. However, besides these medical treatment options, your doctor may recommend you to practice at-home caring methods to manage the chronic pain.

Mediation and Deep Breathing

Meditation and deep breathing are one of the effective techniques that help your body relax, which further alleviates your chronic pain. While doing meditation, ensure to choose the techniques that are specifically useful for helping with aches.  Other than this, ignoring thoughts while focusing on breath will relax your body.

Reduce Stress

While having chronic back pain, you are like to be vulnerable to complexities. At this point, it is imperative for you to manage stress, anxiety, and depression with certain techniques. Not to mention, these negative feelings can make your body more susceptible and sensitive to pain, intensifying the ache. The techniques that help reduce anxiety and depression include listening to calming and soothing music. It will help improve your mood, making a living with chronic pain tolerable.

Exercise

You can boost the endorphins with exercising, a chemical in your body that may help reduce the pain. It is important to mention here that endorphins improve your mood while disrupting the pain signals. Therefore, performing physical exercise can have a positive effect; it will strengthen your muscles and prevent further severity.

Besides other exercises, you may practice yoga poses; it may help reduce the pain. Some medical professionals believe that doing yoga can provide patients with long-lasting benefits.

Stop Smoking and Drinking Alcohol

While pain already interferes with your sleep, drinking alcohol will make the problem worse. So, if you have been experiencing chronic pain, make sure to cut down alcohol from your life to prevent the pain creating more discomfort to you. Other than this, keep in mind that smoking can increase the risks associated with the condition; it will worsen your back pain and may result in severe illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease.

In Conclusion

If you have been experiencing chronic back pain that doesn’t get better in several days with home care, then you must seek out an experienced doctor immediately to help with your condition. In other words, if your pain does not go away in 3-months, it could indicate a sign that your condition has become complex. As a result, you need a professional’s consultation.

If you leave the chronic pain without treating it, you can develop serious medical conditions, including permanent physical disability. If you are having chronic back pain, schedule an appointment with Dr. Grimm. He will help diagnose and treat your chronic pain.

Call today: 646-862-5555

Doctor for Pain Management: What to Look For

What do you look for in a doctor for pain management? Every pain has a different story. Pain is real and makes its presence felt. The intensity and frequency of pain vary from person to person, depending on the root cause. Some pains are temporary and get better with time while others can stay for a lifetime.  Pain has different forms; it may be acute, chronic, cancerous, or a combination of all.

Sometimes an injury, a surgical treatment, or a damaged-nerve, may trigger excruciating pain. You will be surprised to know that nearly 1.5 billion people around the world suffer from chronic pain. One hundred million affectees live in America only.

Pain Management

Living with chronic pains is tough. It may not completely vanish, but you can manage your pain. Physical, psychological, and behavioral therapies work well to manage the pain.

While home remedies can help with acute pain, you will need special assistance in dealing with chronic pains. Note that you can’t treat pain unless you diagnose the trigger. Physiology of pain is a vast field. The increasing pain complications have given rise to the need for specialized pain managing doctors.

Pain Management Specialists

A pain management specialist has expertise in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating pains of all kinds. They can identify the pain condition and prescribe the right treatment. A specialist in pain management has the skills to perform medical procedures to relieve the pain.

For treating complex pains, there are several new drugs and techniques. A pain management specialist knows how to use the knowledge for helping his patient. A physician with proper pain management training adopts a multidisciplinary approach combining different therapies with primary care.

An Ideal Pain Management Specialist

Sometimes the experience with a pain management specialist itself becomes “painful.” Finding the right specialist for managing your pain is tricky and emotionally challenging. Here are some qualities to look for in your pain management physician.

·       Training and Certification

Make sure that your doctor has the specific training for managing the pain you are facing. After graduation in pain management, a physician has to complete a one-year fellowship program. Once a doctor receives certification in a primary field of his choice, he/she may apply for board certification in pain management.

Based on the fellowship training, he/she has to pass the exam from either of these boards; The American Board of Anesthesiology, The American Board of Psychiatry and The American Board of Neurology, or the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

·       Experienced in Pain Management

It is important to know if your doctor has chronic pain management experience –especially the ailment you are facing. An experienced doctor can understand your condition better. Go through the websites and read reviews of the patients your doctor has treated.

·       Good Listener

When you are going through excruciating pain, you look for someone who can address your concerns. You want your doctor to diagnose the pain and suggest suitable treatment carefully. If he does not have good listening skills, a pain management doctor may miss out some important details. Hence, he won’t be able to help you effectively.

·       Empathetic

Efficiency and empathy is an ideal combination, but it is difficult to find.  Your doctor may be efficient but may lack empathy. Admit it that you feel comfortable with a doctor you have a good rapport. The friendly manner of the doctor relieves half of the stress and pain. An indifferent doctor may excavate your pain instead of relieving it.

·       Abreast with Medical Advancements

Pain management has completely transformed over the years with technological advancement. Who could have thought a spinal cord stimulator would ease the chronic pain? Find a physician having a keen interest in all these advanced treatment options. They will have a better solution for your pain issues.

So, if you are going through any pain and can’t handle on your own, it’s time to get the expert’s help.  Book an appointment today with Spine New York City for a pain-free, healthy life.

646-862-5555

Chronic Pain: Medical Management Methods

When dealing with pain, there are a number of different possible treatment approaches. The exact treatment used will vary based on a number of factors. The underlying cause, the severity of the pain, and how intensive of a treatment someone wants are all aspects that have to be considered before determining the medical management method desired. Below are outlined a few different variations in treatment based on the factors mentioned above.

The Cause

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The original cause of pain is something that must be taken into consideration before determining the treatment approach to remediate side pain. For example, if someone initially injured their back through a repetitive motion injury and the pain has not subsided, it’s important to look at that repetitive motion and make sure that it’s not being done anymore. This is not necessarily as simple as it sounds. As a group, humans tend to find an easy and easily repeatable way to do something that needs to get done over and over again. This is an excellent way to gain efficiency and productivity when repeating tasks. However, when this rote routine causes just a small amount of pain, the effects of the pain are multiplied many times over based on how often the task is done. In other cases, when a traumatic event causes pain, such as a car accident or an injury, that injury itself must be completely healed before pain relief can be expected to begin. Still, other people experience pain due to pain syndromes. Conditions such as fibromyalgia can cause regular and seemingly random pain. Obviously, the treatment approach for dealing with this pain must be different than dealing with other forms of pain.

Severity

different-types-of-pain-in-body-03Pain is a fairly subjective object. We all experience pain differently, and pain can be compounded. Therefore, simply rating ones pain on a scale of 1 to 10 is not usually enough the truly identify the type of pain that we are dealing with. Talking about pain can be difficult. Other descriptors essential to finding out the true nature of the pain. Cutting, burning, stabbing, aching, throbbing, tingling, and similar adjectives help us to narrow down what the true sensation that you are experiencing is. Unfortunately, doctors can’t read minds. That is why open communication with your doctor is going to be essential in dealing with chronic pain.

Intensity of Treatment

plan-for-pain-management-nyc-02Not all pain management treatments are created equal. Sometimes, simply taking a few breaths can help to lower pain to a manageable degree. Of course, that’s not always the case. The intensity of the treatment is largely decided on based on your personal preference as the patient. Less invasive treatments, including ice and heat, stretching, and exercise, will provide a less drastic result. More intensive treatments, like the use of prescribed medications, biofeedback systems, massage, and therapies, will be able to help manage higher levels of pain. In cases where these treatments are not effective enough, more invasive treatment opportunities exist. Surgeries, steroid injections, and other clinical options are usually recommended for those dealing with very intense, long-lasting pain. It is typically recommended that we start with the least invasive and most conservative treatments possible. If something as simple as stretching does not help, we can try something like a biofeedback system. If this biofeedback system doesn’t work, then we can look at medication. If medication doesn’t help, injections may be the answer.

Are you wondering what medical management method would work best for you? Schedule an appointment to talk with Dr. Grimm about your individual case and how we can help.

Call today: 646-862-5555

What Should You Look for in a Pain Specialist?

pain specialistYou have pain. You’ve taken medication for it and it doesn’t seem to go away. You may need to see a pain specialist. You may know the underlying cause of the pain, or you may not. In many cases, individuals will seek out multiple types of pain treatments and talk to various doctors to find a solution. If you haven’t seen improvement, you may need to turn to a pain specialist. These professionals have the information and resources to offer you a wider range of treatment options for pain care. Keep in mind that pain management is far more than just taking medications. When you see our pain specialist in New York, you’ll learn about all of your options.

Who Should You See?

While a wide range of professionals are available to help you with the pain you feel, most people benefit from seeing a pain specialist that offers some key characteristics. Among those are the following:

pain specialist• Turn to a professional who has specific experience in pain management. Their in-depth understanding of the pain systems and care as well as how the nervous system works can really benefit you. You want a pain specialist, not just your average doctor providing you with care.

• Look for a professional that offers multiple options for pain care. Many times, patients only believe medications are a solution to their pain. That’s not the case. You need to have multiple options available to help you to get the care you need.

• You need someone that is going to listen to you and really wants to help you. Often, patients feel as though they cannot trust their doctor to really want to help resolve their pain. They believe the doctor doesn’t understand or doesn’t care how bad it is. Compassionate professionals are important.

pain specialist• Look for a pain specialist that uses alternative care as well. This may include either offering or recommending acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic care. For some people, this really is effective.

• Select a pain specialist that you like. It is important to have a good relationship with the professional who is going to help control the pain you feel.

It takes a unique doctor to work as a pain specialist. When you come in to see our top-notch pain doctor in New York City, you’ll get the level of care you need to provide you with the best range of options for pain control and treatment.

If you are experiencing any type of pain at all, we highly encourage you to call us today at 646-862-5555 to schedule an appointment with the best pain doctor in all of New York City.

Seeking Out Psychological Support for Pain Management

pain managementPain management is not just about resolving the physical aspects of this condition. There is also a strong psychological component to pain management. That is not to say that the pain you feel isn’t real or isn’t very bad. Yet, there is a component of your mental health that can be impacted by chronic or severe pain especially when it lasts for a long time. This is why many times, when you see a pain doctor in New York City, you’ll need to also see a psychologist to talk about what is happening, why it is happening, and what can be done about it.

How Can Psychological Treatment Help You?

Individuals who are facing pain, especially long term pain, need help. They struggle with many aspects of this condition including physical limitations. But they also struggle with the way they feel. You may be experiencing:

  • Hopelessnesspain management
  • Despair
  • Anger
  • Depression
  • Sadness
  • Frustration

And, when you have these feelings, and they last a long time, that impacts your overall wellbeing. It can also impact the way you sleep, your relationships personally and professionally, as well as your stress levels. In fact, for many people, ongoing pain that’s not treated can create depression and anxiety that actually worsens the way they feel. Psychological treatment aims to reduce this type of outcome.

What can it offer?

  • It is a safe and nonmedication method for reducing pain.pain management
  • It reduces high stress levels that worsen pain.
  • It offers an opportunity to give you a place to vent and to let go.
  • It teaches you how to cope in high stress and high pain instances.
  • It also helps you to learn how to manage a very difficult situation.

It is important to know that psychological treatment for pain isn’t often an option. It is often one of the most important components of a well-designed management program. That means that most pain doctors will encourage individuals to seek out this type of care. It not only can help you to feel better, but it also assures your doctor that you truly are experiencing pain that is impacting your quality of life. And, it can provide an avenue to improving your overall ability to manage your life as it is.

With the help of our pain doctor in New York City, we can offer you the right combination of care to improve your pain.

If you are experiencing any type of pain at all, we highly encourage you to call us today at 646-862-5555 to schedule an appointment with the best pain doctor in all of New York City.