Every day millions of people across the country see pain management specialists for help with their chronic pain conditions.
However, there remain many misconceptions about what pain management is all about. In an effort to dispel some of those misunderstandings and misconceptions, Dr. Rodolfo Gari, Medical Director of Florida Pain Relief Group in Tampa, FL, answers some of the more common questions people have about pain management.
“Doesn’t pain management just involve patients taking a lot of pills?”
Dr. Gari: “The needs of people suffering from chronic pain are ever-evolving, and pain management has evolved along with it. For some patients, medication management may be the best course of action. However pain management and pain relief is far from one-size-fits-all. At Florida Pain relief Group we take a comprehensive approach to pain management. This approach involves physical therapy, nerve blocks, minimally invasive procedures and also include medication management.”
“Aren’t pain management doctors like chiropractors?”
Dr. Gari: “At Florida Pain Relief Group, unlike chiropractors, our physicians attended medical school and have specialized training following medical school. This specialized training involves a one year internship in a field such as Internal Medicine or General Surgery, a three to four residency in a field such as Anesthesiology and another year called a fellowship in the field of pain management. This medical training amounts to about nine years of medical training after graduating from college.”
“All pain management doctors are the same.”
Dr. Gari: “At Florida Pain Relief Group our physicians are interventional pain management physicians. Unlike other pain management physicians that can only prescribe medications, our
physicians perform nerve blocks, spinal cord stimulators, intrathecal pump implants, rhizotomies, and other minimally invasive pain management techniques to lower your pain level, thereby reducing your dependence on opiates and other strong medications to control your pain.”
Do you have a question about pain management that wasn’t answered here? Contact us today!