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“How do I find a pain doctor near me?” It’s a question you’ve no doubt found yourself asking if you suffer from fibromyalgia. The condition causes constant pain, and it’s that pain that makes fibromyalgia so devastating for your quality of life. And that’s why finding a good way to manage it is vital to getting your life back on track.
So, how do you go about finding a pain doctor? What should you expect when you go? And what can they do to help you manage your fibromyalgia?
How Do I Find A Pain Doctor Near Me?
The first step in getting treatment is finding a good pain doctor. Unfortunately, this isn’t always a simple thing to do. Pain doctors are doctors who specialize in treating chronic pain conditions. That’s different than a general practitioner, who will be just as knowledgeable about medicine, but not have the experience in the specific field of chronic pain treatment that a pain doctor would.
While doctors all receive training in medical school, medicine is a field that can get very specialized and is constantly evolving. So to become an expert in a specific type of medicine, doctors have to spend a lot of time focusing on that field and stay up to date on all the latest treatments. That’s why pain doctors are often better at treating conditions like fibromyalgia than a general practitioner.
So, when you’re looking for a doctor to treat your pain, it’s often not enough to simply go to your GP. Instead, you should seek out doctors who specialize in treating pain. And there are a few different ways to do this. The first is to look for recommendations from your GP or from friends who struggle with chronic pain. Many doctors know of other practitioners who specialize in pain and can refer you. And often, other patients can give you a good recommendation for doctors who have done a good job of treating them.
In addition, you can often find recommendations for doctors in your specific area by searching on the internet. In the US, medicare.gov provides a great resource called “physician compare” where you can search for doctors who specialize in different fields in your area, including chronic pain. In addition, the resource will tell you whether or not they accept Medicaid.
What To Expect When You Go
When you find a doctor, there are a few things that you should do to prepare for your visit. The first is to make sure that your pain doctor is well reviewed and professional. Unfortunately, the opioid epidemic in America has led to the rise in fraudulent pain clinics that basically just exist to profit from prescribing opioids and billing the government for unnecessary treatments.
The most obvious sign of a fraudulent clinic is that they don’t seem particularly interested in what your actual condition is and just want to immediately sign you up for treatments. But you can avoid these clinics by making sure to only visit doctors that are established and well reviewed by patients and other professionals and have accredited degrees from reputable institutions.
When you do visit a pain clinic, be prepared to discuss your diagnosis and your pain with the doctor and be open to the different treatments they can offer you.
What Can They Do To Help You Manage Your Fibromyalgia?
Pain clinics can offer all the traditional treatments for fibromyalgia like SSRIs. SSRIs work by raising the levels of serotonin in the blood. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in regulating your mood, but they also play an important role in the pain of fibromyalgia. People with fibromyalgia tend to have lower levels of serotonin, and SSRIs can help treat fibromyalgia pain. That’s why some of the most commonly prescribed medications for fibromyalgia are SSRIs.
And while opioid medications are a source of controversy at the moment, the truth is that many people with fibromyalgia depend on them to treat their chronic pain. And pain doctors can help you use these opioid medications in a safe and effective way.
But many pain clinics also offer alternative forms of treatment like a massage. Research has suggested that regular massages are a great way to treat the pain of fibromyalgia. And there are many types of alternative treatments for fibromyalgia that can actually be very effective like dietary supplements or physical therapy.
So, what do you think? Have you visited a pain doctor for your fibromyalgia? Were you pleased with the care you received? Let us know in the comments.
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