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What does a pain management doctor do? How they find the source of pain, the tests they order and the treatments they offer
What does a pain management doctor do? In short, they find where your pain is coming from and treat it without surgery. At your visit, the doctor takes your history, examines you and, when it will answer a question, orders tests such as an X-ray, MRI, CT or an EMG/NCV nerve test. Pain can have many possible causes, so the doctor explains which ones fit your exam and builds a plan. That plan often combines physical therapy, medicine review, home exercise and, for some people, image-guided injections or nerve procedures.
Many people are referred to a pain management doctor after months of back, neck or joint pain, and are not sure what to expect. At Precision Care Medical & Sports Performance, our pain physicians are physiatrists (physical medicine and rehabilitation) and pain management specialists. Their job is to work out what is driving the pain and to bring the right treatments together, from physical therapy to ultrasound- and X-ray-guided procedures like the ones in the videos.
What does a pain management doctor do at your first visit?
- History: where it hurts, how it started, what makes it better or worse, and what you have already tried
- Physical exam: movement, strength, reflexes, sensation and the specific tests that point to a joint, nerve, muscle or tendon
- Tests, when needed: the physician orders imaging such as X-ray, MRI or CT, or an EMG/NCV nerve test when numbness, tingling or weakness suggests a nerve problem
- Possible causes: the doctor explains which causes fit your findings and which have been ruled out
- A plan: what to start now, what to try next, and how progress will be measured
Imaging is not always needed on day one. Our guide to finding the cause of chronic pain explains how each step narrows things down.
Conditions a pain management doctor treats
Pain management doctors see many kinds of pain, including:
- Back and neck pain, with or without pain spreading into an arm or leg; see lower back pain treatment
- Joint pain from arthritis in the knee, hip or shoulder
- Tendon and soft-tissue pain, such as tennis elbow or trigger finger; see elbow, wrist and hand pain
- Nerve pain, such as a pinched nerve or diabetic neuropathy
- Pain after a car accident, a work injury or surgery
- Headaches that start in the neck
The same symptom can come from different places. Back pain, for example, can come from a muscle or ligament strain, a disc, a facet joint, a pinched nerve or the sacroiliac joint, and an exam helps tell them apart.
Treatments a pain management doctor may offer
- Physical therapy: usually part of the plan, to restore movement and strength; offered at our Brooklyn and Staten Island offices
- Medicine review: making sure what you take is safe and is helping
- Image-guided injections: epidural steroid injections, joint injections and trigger point injections, placed with ultrasound or fluoroscopy (X-ray) guidance
- Nerve procedures: medial branch blocks and radiofrequency ablation for arthritic spine joints
- Spinal cord stimulation: a spinal cord stimulator trial for some long-standing nerve pain
Injections are not a stand-alone fix; they calm pain so that therapy and exercise can work. Pain procedures are performed at all three offices, and your physician explains where and when yours will be scheduled.
Pain management doctor, surgeon or primary care?
Your primary care doctor is a good first stop for new pain. A pain management doctor is the next step when pain lasts beyond a few weeks, keeps coming back, or limits work and sleep. A surgeon is needed for a smaller group of problems that do not respond to non-surgical care, or when there are warning signs. If surgery becomes an option, your pain physician explains why and refers you. Many people never need it; see how to fix lower back pain without surgery and chronic pain management.
Signs it is time to see one
- Pain that has lasted more than six weeks, or keeps returning
- Pain that spreads into an arm or leg, or comes with numbness or tingling
- Pain that limits work, sleep or exercise despite rest and over-the-counter medicine
- Pain that has not improved with physical therapy; see chronic pain not improving
Go to an emergency room for sudden weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness in the groin, fever with back pain, or pain after a serious fall or accident.
More videos: a pain management doctor at work
More clips from our YouTube channel @precisioncaremedical showing ultrasound- and X-ray-guided treatments a pain management doctor may use.
Related care at Precision Care Medical & Sports Performance
A pain management doctor near you
Looking for a pain management doctor near me? Precision Care Medical & Sports Performance sees patients at three offices, where our pain physicians, Ashley Marcus, MD in Brooklyn, Jake Stephen, DO on Staten Island and Yuri Gordin, MD in Manhattan, examine and treat pain. Our Brooklyn pain management office on Shell Rd is close to Homecrest, Gravesend, Bath Beach and Sheepshead Bay.
Our Staten Island pain management office on Richmond Rd serves Grasmere, Concord, Todt Hill and Westerleigh. In Manhattan, the Precision Care Spine & Pain Center in Midtown Manhattan is reachable from Spanish Harlem and Washington Heights. Request an appointment or call the office closest to you.
150 E 55th St, Suite 401, New York, NY 10022
(212) 840-0135
Questions patients ask
What does a pain management doctor do on the first visit?
They take your history, examine you and review any imaging you already have. If it will answer a question, they order tests such as an X-ray, MRI or EMG/NCV, then explain the possible causes and a plan.
Is a pain management doctor the same as a physiatrist?
Not always. A physiatrist specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation; many also train in pain management. Our pain physicians are physiatrists and pain management specialists.
Do pain management doctors only give injections?
No. Most plans include physical therapy, exercise and a medicine review. Injections or nerve procedures are added for some people when they can help therapy work.
Do I need a referral to see a pain management doctor?
It depends on your insurance plan. Some plans need a referral and others do not; the office can check your plan before your visit.
Will a pain management doctor send me for surgery?
Only if your exam and tests suggest a problem that needs it. Most people are treated without surgery, and if it becomes an option your physician explains why and refers you to a surgeon.
Where can I find a pain management doctor near me?
Precision Care Medical & Sports Performance has pain management doctors at all three offices:
- Brooklyn2781 Shell Rd, Suite 101, Brooklyn, NY 11223(718) 648-1234 · Get directions
- Staten Island1630 Richmond Rd, Suite 101, Staten Island, NY 10304(718) 339-7100 · Get directions
- Midtown Manhattan150 E 55th St, Suite 401, New York, NY 10022(212) 840-0135 · Get directions
Physical therapy is offered at the Brooklyn and Staten Island offices only.
Educational only, not medical advice. These videos and this article explain common problems and treatments in general terms. They are not a diagnosis or a treatment plan for you. Results vary from person to person. See a qualified clinician about your own symptoms, and call 911 or go to an emergency room for an emergency.
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