A pain assessment not only allows a doctor to determine factors about a patient’s condition, but it also allows a patient to reflect on their own health. Even though pain is a personal experience, creating optimal pain interventions requires a unified approach. A good pain assessment will have patients identify the intensity of their pain, location, duration, and aggravating stimuli.
At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, determining a correct diagnosis is vital for the efficacy of treatment. Because of this importance, we have developed the best strategies and care plans that can be individualized to meet a patient’s needs. With four locations across Utah, Southwest Spine and Pain Center providers are better able to serve ailing patients in rural areas.
The International Association for the Study of Pain says, “pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience arising from actual or potential tissue damage.” However, this definition has evolved, and we now understand that pain is whatever a person says brings he or she discomfort. If a chronic or acute pain condition is not addressed and managed it will only worsen and intensify over time. Chronic pain could be a symptom of an underlying condition such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, cancer, or diabetes. Pain is often a symptom developed after an injury including low back pain or phantom limb pain.
Pain assessments leave clues to physicians about the effectiveness of treatment. At Southwest Spine and Pain, we use ongoing pain assessments to score and document the levels of pain that a patient is feeling. In doing so, we get a better understanding on why a treatment isn’t working or if a treatment should continue based on positive results.
If acute or chronic pain is not assessed properly throughout the course of a patient’s treatment, inadequate pain management will result. Southwest Spine and Pain providers utilize pain assessments as a way to improve physical, emotional, and psychosocial problems. Optimal pain management can only be achieved with all of it’s parts; pain assessment included.
Fore more information on strategies that we use to diagnose a pain condition, contact a Southwest Spine and Pain physician, today! The WILDA approach to pain assessment is one of the most utilized tools in pain management. Learn more here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1317046/#B1.
If chronic pain is impacting your life, don't wait to schedule an appointment at Southwest Spine and Pain Center. With three locations and growing, the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are dedicated to helping those who suffer from chronic pain live the life they want to! To schedule an appointment, visit our locations tab!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.
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