Does it feel like you’re looking for a needle in the haystack when it comes to finding a doctor for your pain condition?  Well, today starts my series on pain organization websites that have great sections for patients.  I’ll highlight some of the good info that each offers.

Presenting…

American Academy of Pain Medicine, and

American Academy of Pain Management

I’ve started with these 2 as they have good sections on finding a pain medicine practitioner.  Some things to keep in mind when you look for a pain doc:

• What type of MD would be best for you, e.g. a neurologist, a surgeon, etc?
• Are you looking for medical treatment and management, or for psychological treatment?
• Click here for some additional info from my website that will help you find the best treatment team for you.

Next, some tips on where to look for medical professionals for your team, besides from national pain organizations.

• Call the academic health centers close to you and ask for their pain department.  For psychological care, call the psychiatry departments at academic health centers and ask if anyone specializes in chronic pain.  I suggest academic services, rather than just any hospital, as this is where people who do research and train students are, and may be more likely to be up-do-date on treatment.
• Ask your primary care doctor for names of pain management doctors.
• If you’re looking for psychological treatment for pain, ask your pain management doctor about a referral.  Hopefully this person has a colleague he or she refers to.  Here’s more on why a pain management mental health person may be helpful to you.

So hopefully you’re now better able to find that treatment team which will be best for you.  Sort of like being equipped with a powerful magnet… those needles comes zipping out of that haysack, just for you.  Good luck!

You’re invited to send in your own recommendations of professional organizations related to pain, along with why you like them, to Submissions, and I may use them for future Friday posts.  (My disclaimer states that, while I believe these websites that I feature are sound and valuable sites, I don’t monitor what they post, and as such, I don’t specifically endorse the information or services provided by them.  These organizations are solely responsible for the information they provide.)