Choosing Your Provider
First Line Physicians
When your pain has turned into chronic pain, the first person you are likely to turn to is your primary care physician, whose specialty is either family practice medicine or internal medicine. If your child's pain has turned into chronic pain, the first person you are likely to turn to is your child's pediatrician. In either case, it's helpful to know what you can expect from these "first-line" providers. Though their background medical specialties don't necessarily equip them with tools appropriate for managing long-term, chronic pain, they still play an important role in a pain management plan.
*To read more about pain and working with your primary care provider, click here.
**To read more about pain in children and adolescents, click here.
- Family Practice Physician: Family practice physicians provide total health care to the individual and the family. Their training emphasizes prevention and primary care of patients of all ages and includes internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, and geriatrics. Though they generally are not specialized in the treatment and management of chronic pain, their sub-specialty(ies) may indicate their level of exposure to chronic pain issues. For example, a family/primary care physician who sub-specializes in geriatric medicine may handle more chronic pain-related cases. Some primary care physicians may specialize in pain management and may have received additional training in chronic pain treatment, including doing procedures. You should feel free to ask your primary care provider what their level of interest and training is in treating chronic pain.*
- Internist: Internists are concerned with diagnosing and treating diseases that affect internal organs or the body as a whole. They are also trained in the essentials of primary care internal medicine, which incorporates an understanding of disease prevention, wellness, mental health, and geriatric medicine. Internists who treat pain typically are sub-specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer (oncologists) or diseases affecting the joints (rheumatologists) or digestive system (gastroenterologists). They may prescribe medications or refer you to other specialists.
- Pediatrician: Pediatricians provide preventive health maintenance for children, and also provide medical care for children who are seriously or chronically ill. Pediatricians treating pain have usually sub-specialized and include pediatric oncologists (who specialize in cancer) and pediatric rheumatologists (who specialize in arthritis and some immune system disorders). Pediatricians who treat pain may prescribe medications or refer your child to other specialists.
Pediatricians treating pain may work within a multidisciplinary pain management team. This team may include anesthesiologists and/or neurologists who have extra training in treating children with pain problems, or other health care providers (i.e., psychologist, nurse, physical therapist (see Other Health Care Professionals). The team will work with the family to determine what combinations of medication treatments, physical therapy, psychological services, and other medical interventions would work best for your child.**
*To read more about pain and working with your primary care provider, click here.
**To read more about pain in children and adolescents, click here.