When to Consult a Pain Specialist; Key Indicators.

When to see a pain specialist?
Pain management is an aspect of medicine and health care involving relief of pain in various dimensions, from simple acute pain to complex and challenging chronic pain.
This is video that describes when to seek the medical expertise of a pain specialist physician. Pain Specialists are qualified medical specialists in the same manner as other medical specialists like anaesthetists, surgeons, neurologists etc.
Pain Specialists are expert at diagnosing and treating pain. We are also expert at coordinating the care of these patients with many other medical teams.
Some of the pain syndromes assessed diagnosed and treated includes.
1. Specific pain conditions like, neuropathic pain, Chronic Pain After Surgery Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome (PSPS), Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), Neuropathic pain, Radicular pain, Headache & facial pain, Visceral pain, Pelvic pain, Peripheral neuropathy, Cancer pain syndromes, nociceptive pain syndrome, Joint pain, Facet joints & Sacroiliac Joints, Spinal pain, Non-operative joints (knees, hips, shoulders), Myofascial pain, Nociplastic pain like widespread pain.
2. Pain medications issues
- Not responding to pain medications like anti-neuropathic agents, short-term opioids chronic pain, opioid escalation in cancer pain
- Side-effects - Anti-neuropathic agents, Opioids
- Comorbidity - Elderly, Medical, Polypharmacy
- Opioids - Caution if morphine oral equivalent (MOE) is greater than 40mg, MOE greater than 100mg, tolerance, aberrance
3. Peri-operative issues and factors
- Pre-existing pain - moderate - severe pain
- Surgery - Moderate to large surgery
- Anxiety - Moderate to high levels of anxiety
- Opioid - tolerance - MOE greater than 40mg/day
4. Allied health factors
- Yellow flags - Maladaptive behaviours, Maladaptive cognitions, Poor coping, Anxiety/depression, Distress, Catastrophising, Fear-avoidance Medico-legal
- Not responding - to first line allied health therapy
When in doubt, reach out to a pain specialist.