- What is pain management?
Pain management is a medical specialty that is dedicated to helping you decrease your level of pain and suffering using both interventional and non interventional techniques. The goal of pain management is to restore your quality of life by helping you return you to your maximum level of functioning and independence.The American Board of Medical Specialties recognizes pain medicine as a medical subspecialty. Pain Medicine Physicians must now complete a one-year multidisciplinary pain fellowship after successful completion of four years of medical school and four years of anesthesiology residency or other specialty residency training in physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology or psychiatry.All of our physicians at AIPM are board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in both Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine.
- What is the difference between acute and chronic pain?
Acute pain is of short duration and is usually the result of an injury, surgery orillness.Chronic pain is ongoing and can be the result of many conditions that cause neck and low back pain, neuropathic (nerve) pain, muscle pain, joint pain, and pain related to illness.Treatments for acute and chronic pain might include injections or other procedures, short and long-term medications, or a combination of the two. Commonly, adjuvant therapies, such as physical therapy, chiropractic therapy, or psychotherapy, may also be beneficial in treating acute and chronic pain.
- What should I look for in a pain management practice?
Our physicians at AIPM maintain the highest standards for patient care. Some things to consider when choosing a pain management practice should include board certification, subspecialty fellowship training, practice reputation, and approach to patient care.All of our physicians are fellowship-trained anesthesiologists who are board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in both Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. AIPM has an excellent reputation of superior patient care in the Northern New Jersey region. Our physicians take a comprehensive approach to diagnosis and a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment of a patient’s pain condition. Our practice has multiple locations throughout Northern New Jersey and our physicians are credentialed at multiple outpatient surgical facilities to make a patient’s office visit and procedure as convenient as possible.From the American Society of Anesthesiologists“Interventional pain management by unqualified providers presents serious risks to patients, such as persistent or worsened pain, bleeding, infection, nerve damage, brain damage, paralysis or even death. Therefore, it is the position of the American Society of Anesthesiologists that interventional pain management of patients suffering from chronic pain constitutes the practice of medicine. Appropriate medical training is necessary to evaluate, diagnose and safely treat patients suffering from chronic pain and to respond to complications of treatment should they arise. The public safety requires that interventional pain management in statute and regulation as clearly recognized as the practice of medicine and the interventional treatment of pain is provided only by qualified MDs/DOs.”