[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/10\/what-is-pain-medicine\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/10\/what-is-pain-medicine\/","headline":"What Is Pain Management? Your Questions Answered","name":"What Is Pain Management? Your Questions Answered","description":"If you have chronic or unbearable pain, you may want to see a doctor who specializes in pain medicine. Find out more about this specialty.","datePublished":"2017-10-04","dateModified":"2023-09-13","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/","name":"UPMC","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/upmc\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/PAIN-MED.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/PAIN-MED.jpg","height":1365,"width":2048},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/10\/what-is-pain-medicine\/","about":["Family Health","Living and Wellness"],"wordCount":548,"articleBody":"When you hear the terms \u201cpain medicine\u201d or \u201cpain management,\u201d you might think of prescriptions and medicines.\u00a0Pain management is a comprehensive medical specialty that focuses on the evaluation and treatment of chronic pain. Your pain management team will work alongside you, developing a treatment plan that helps you live your best life.\u00a0Contact the UPMC Pain Management Program\u00a0What Is Pain Management?According to Ajay Wasan, MD, MSc, Vice Chair, Pain Medicine in the\u00a0Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at UPMC, Pain Management is a board-certified medical specialty. Doctors who practice it have completed a fellowship after residency and are certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties as experts in pain management.Expect your first visit with a pain specialist to involve an extensive evaluation of all possible causes of your pain. The doctor may recommend a variety of treatments to reduce your pain and improve your functioning, which can include:Nerve block.\u00a0A nerve block is a medicine injected into your body to numb a group of nerves and, as a result, reduce pain.Oral medicine.\u00a0This can be divided into opioids and non-opioids. Opioid medicines, also known as narcotics, are typically used as a last resort. A doctor may first prescribe non-opioid medicines to help control pain.Physical therapy.\u00a0Physical therapy and exercises to strengthen targeted areas of your body can help to relieve pain.\u00a0UPMC\u2019s chronic pain management\u00a0program offers physical therapy and occupational therapy clinics so that you\u2019ll receive the proper therapies to treat your chronic pain.Mental health care. UPMC Pain Management also includes\u00a0pain psychologists\u00a0and psychiatrists who can help you learn to cope with your pain and improve how you function with it.What Do Specialists Treat?Pain management specialists can treat the full spectrum of pain disorders, but they most often treat chronic pain due to low back pain or arthritis pain, for example. Chronic pain is pain occurring daily and lasting at least three months. \u2019At UPMC, pain specialists treat conditions that include:Back and neck pain.Cancer pain.Abdominal pain.Post-surgical pain.Pain due to nerve injuries.Arthritis pain.When Should You See a Specialist?The majority of people who see pain specialists are referred by another doctor.A pain management specialist can\u00a0identify the cause of your pain\u00a0and treat its symptoms. A doctor may also consult with other specialists to determine if you are a good candidate for surgery or another procedure to correct an underlying condition or if pain management is a better option.Dr. Wasan says that getting early pain treatment improves your chances of finding relief.What Kind of Results Can You Expect?For chronic pain, treatment is not a quick fix.\u201cIt\u2019s a process that may involve several different types of treatment,\u201d says Dr. Wasan. \u201cOver a six-month period, the majority of our patients experience a 30 to 50 percent improvement, based on our tracking of treatment outcomes.\u201d\u00a0\u201cPeople suffering from chronic conditions may always have some pain, but pain management and specialty care can help them significantly reduce it and manage their pain to prevent it from getting worse.\u201dLearn more about\u00a0UPMC Pain Management\u00a0and start getting the treatment you need.Editor's Note: This article was originally published on October 4, 2017, and was last reviewed on September 13, 2023."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2017","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"10","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/\/10\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What Is Pain Management? Your Questions Answered","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/10\/what-is-pain-medicine\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]