If you’re one of the 50 million U.S. adults affected by chronic pain, you may need the assistance of a physician at a pain management clinic in Orlando to help you regain control of your life and return to the daily activities you love without restriction. However, we recognize that you may feel apprehensive or uneasy about receiving medical care from someone other than the primary care physician you’ve likely been visiting for years. It may also feel discouraging if you’ve visited a pain management clinic in the past and did not receive the appropriate care.

To relieve some of your anxieties and clarify the first step in your journey for finding relief from your pain, this article will review everything you need to know in order to feel comfortable attending your first visit with a pain management clinic. For a pain management physician who will take a patient-centered approach towards optimizing the management of your pain and improving your quality of life, reach out to Neil Patel, M.D.

The Procedure For Your First Visit With a Clinic for Interventional Pain Management in Orlando

At your first visit with a clinic for interventional pain management in Orlando, you’ll likely be seen by Dr. Patel for an initial consultation for the purpose of thoroughly assessing the origin, severity, and type of pain you’re experiencing. The healthcare provider will review your past records, medication list, and relevant diagnostic studies; perform a thorough physical exam; and ask for more detailed information regarding your symptoms, treatment history, and the impact of your pain on your daily life.

Common questions you may be asked on your first visit to a pain management clinic include:

• How long have you been experiencing this pain?
• Where in your body do you feel pain?
• How often do you experience this pain?
• What does the pain feel like? (Dull, throbbing, aching)
• Does your pain worsen when sitting, standing, or lying down?
• Does your pain worsen at certain times of the day?
• What typically provides you relief from this pain?

It may help to have a pain journal of some kind at your first visit in which you have kept track of how much pain you experience on a daily basis. Such record-keeping not only promotes better communication with your doctor, but it may also help you to begin noticing things about your pain, such as where it improves or worsens, what you were doing at the time, and if you’re experiencing any other side effects. Overall, the goal is to arrive at the first visit as knowledgeable as possible about the severity and type of pain you’re dealing with.

Moving Forward With a Treatment Approach

Once you’ve completed your initial consultation with a pain management clinic in Orlando, your healthcare provider will have established an accurate diagnosis that he can utilize to create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. No two patients experience pain the same way, which is why a highly-experienced pain physician like Neil Patel, M.D., will always recommend creating a customized treatment plan that can target your specific symptoms and be adjusted based on your progress. Interventional modalities, or minimally invasive procedures such as epidural steroid injections, selective nerve blocks, and more, will then be used to open up avenues for long-term relief.

Upon reducing your pain, your doctor may also recommend that you move to increase your activity levels, strength, and flexibility through rehabilitation efforts like physical therapy. Some patients may be leaning more towards the mental aspects of pain and will require the assistance of a pain psychologist. However, the only way to establish a customized treatment plan that best fits your symptoms and severity of your pain is to get in contact with a doctor that specializes in interventional pain management in Orlando.