Pain management helps you regulate pain with medications, procedures, exercises and therapy. Pain management specialists may recommend one approach or a combination of several to prevent, reduce or relieve pain. You may receive care in a pain clinic, your healthcare provider’s office or a hospital.


Pain is the most common symptom of thousands of injuries and conditions you can experience in your lifetime. It can also result from treatments for conditions and injuries or be the main feature of a condition (a pain disorder). Pain can last a short time and go away when you heal (acute pain). Or it can last for months or years (chronic pain).


Pain is very complex, and everyone experiences it differently. It’s also not something we can see — and a lot of people have “invisible” conditions that cause pain. These factors — and several others — can make it difficult to seek help for pain. You may be worried that others won’t take you seriously or that the pain will never go away. Know that it’s important to get medical help. No one should struggle through pain every day.


Depending on the cause and type of pain, it may not be possible to find total relief. And the pain may not get better right away. The goal of pain management is to improve your quality of life and functioning, like doing daily tasks, enjoying your usual activities, working and/or attending school. Your provider or healthcare team will work with you to adjust your pain management plan so you can feel better.


Who needs pain management?

Anyone with pain — either acute or chronic pain — can benefit from a pain management plan. A comprehensive plan can help you manage pain that lasts a few days (such as after an injury or surgery). It can also help if you have long-term pain from health conditions.


Pain is the main symptom of a wide range of injuries, infections and diseases. Some of the most common conditions that cause pain include:


Arthritis and muscle and joint injuries.

Autoimmune conditions, like Crohn’s disease, lupus and fibromyalgia.

Burns.

Cancer.

Causes of neuropathic pain, like pinched nerves, peripheral neuropathy and trigeminal neuralgia.

Chronic pain disorders, like complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and central pain syndrome.

Circulatory disorders, like peripheral artery disease.

Endometriosis.

Headaches and migraines.

Spine- or spinal cord-related conditions or injuries.

Who do I see for pain management?

If you don’t know the cause of your pain, you may want to start with your primary care provider. They can start the diagnostic process and refer you to a pain management team or clinic. If you have a diagnosis, talk to your provider who manages the condition about starting a more involved pain management plan.


You may have a team of pain management specialists who work together to help you manage long-term or severe pain. These specialists work in a field of medicine called algiatry. Your team may include:


Pain management specialists.

Anesthesiologists.

Specialists on any other medical conditions you may have, like oncologists or neurologists.

Nurses.

Mental health providers, like psychologists and psychiatrists.

Physical and/or occupational therapists.

Complementary or integrative health providers.

Social workers.

To further evaluate your pain and the cause of it, your team may recommend certain tests and assessments, like:


Physical exam.

Neurological exam.

Laboratory tests (blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid tests).

Imaging tests, like MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT scans (computed tomography scans).

Electrodiagnostic studies, like nerve conduction studies and EMG (electromyography).

How pain affects various aspects of your life, like your mood, ability to do everyday tasks, relationships and work.