Always see the Family Doctor first – they are the ones to refer you to specialists
An article entitled “How to Prevent Chronic Pain Conditions” appeared in Hong Kong’s The Standard newspaper on Tuesday January 29th, 2010.
The author wrote that chronic pain is often caused by failure to diagnose the root – or primary cause – of the pain. If treatment is only given to the secondary area of pain that is remote from the source, the pain will persist and become chronic, continued the author. He suggested that a Pain Clinic could effectively diagnose the source of the problem, give appropriate treatment and thus prevent complications.
It is important to note here that the best person to diagnose or treat any particular painful condition is a doctor specializing in that particular field of medicine: a neck problem producing a pain in the shoulder or arm would best be diagnosed and treated by an orthopaedic surgeon; a painful left chest with pain down the arm would best be diagnosed by a cardiac or chest physician; and a pain in the loin, with referred pain down the groin, should be seen by a surgeon.
These types of expertise are not usually available in a Pain Clinic.
Doctors specializing in pain treatment are usually anaesthesiologists, who would not have received any specialist training in any other branch of medicine. The public should know that, conventionally, Pain Clinics receive patient referrals from other specialists who have thoroughly investigated their patient’s pain and could find no abnormality for treatment. Alternatively, they see patients who have an organic cause but have been resistant to standard forms of treatment.
When you have pain and you think you need to see a doctor, go to your Family Physician. They are trained to handle most types of pain. If necessary, they will then refer you to the appropriate specialist.