Best Pain Clinics in USA

[A's Mommy]

Friends,

I am really struggling with the fact that of all the "pain specialists" I've seen, none seem to know anything about chronic pain, let alone chronic neuropathic pain.

I am asking for your help. Does anyone have any idea what the best pain clinics are in the USA? I'm ready to fly there.

And if anyone prescribes me a Vicodin, I will literally crush it with my bare hands in front of their face.

It's NEUROPATHIC pain. Help Help Help.

Thank you,

A's Mommy

[Lernica]

I wouldn't go near any "pain clinic" unless it were associated with a major teaching hospital. If it is, you will be in good hands. They are the experts in chronic pain management.

As an added bonus, seek a pain clinic with a neurologist on staff (not on standby, or visiting when needed). My pain clinic is headed up by a neurologist, Dr. Allan Gordon. He is one of Canada's foremost experts on chronic neurological pain.

Good luck in your search, AM. I am sorry that it is taking you so long to find a good doctor.

Warm regards,

Lernica

[HerMajesty]

I would be shocked if you had to fly anywhere. My pain clinic guy is a PA in my local area who I met through my PT, because PT's in Nevada can't dry needle and he does trigger point injections. He can't possibly be the only well read, empathetic pain clinic practitioner between here and Pennsylvania.
In my experience in meeting several pain clinic PA's, they have actually all been more attentive and interested in problem solving for their patients than are the Doctors they are associated with, maybe that is something to consider?

[Lernica]

Please excuse my ignorance, HM, but what's a "PA"?

[A's Mommy]

Lernica,

Thank you for the encouragement; however, I did go to a pain clinic at a major teaching hospital and was sorely disappointed many times. I guess there just aren't any good ones near me. I didn't know if there was some "world renowned" pain clinic in the US or something. I think I will next try a Google search.

Sincerely,

A's Mommy

[HerMajesty]

Please excuse my ignorance, HM, but what's a "PA"?

A Physicians Assistant. They are mostly people from other fields who go back to school later in life and do an intensive 2 or 3 years program kind of like a Master's program. After that they can function in many ways as a Physician, but are limited in the procedures they can do ( definitely no surgery!) and in that they must work under Physician supervision (Doc countersigns their orders, reviews their charts, etc).

JMO, a Doctor is often a smart kid in high school and undergraduate school, who gets into Med school and then does a Residency; result = 30 year old individual working 1st real job in their life, has been raised entirely in a certain medical culture, and thinks the world owes them something. I know this is a generality but it's my theory as to why I meet so many more respectful, helpful PA's.

[Faith]

I like my pain doctor. He listens to me and seems to know what PN is (although not super educated). He did my PN blocks. But he seems to be an interventional pain doctor-he just wants to find the source of the pain and try to fix it. Not prescribe meds. I feel like I need someone to manage my meds better. Like I tried Cymbalta 30mg while on 2400mg Neurontin and it was too much Central Nervous System depression for me.I want a doctor to help me get better control of my pain while I wait to see Dr. Hibner. A urogynocologist who specializes in pelvic pain doesn't really know enough to do pain management for me. It seems like every pain doctor I read about online within a 2 hour radius of me also does intervtional pain management. Any suggestions?

[Lernica]

I want a doctor to help me get better control of my pain while I wait to see Dr. Hibner. A urogynocologist who specializes in pelvic pain doesn't really know enough to do pain management for me. It seems like every pain doctor I read about online within a 2 hour radius of me also does interventional pain management. Any suggestions?

I would phone them to confirm the online info. It could be that the primary doctor does not actually do the "interventions" but instead brings an anaesthetist in to do them. In which case I would assume that the primary doctor does the prescription management. This is how it works at my pain clinic. The primary doctor does the prescriptions and the overall pain management plan, and his anaesthetist does the interventionist stuff.

Good luck in your search, Faith.

Lernica

[RJR]

Dear AM,
Roger all that other forum members say.

My reco is Dr James Campbell at Johns Hopkins. He is a full professor of neurosurgery and had done a modified TG PN decompression procedure back in the day. He retired from neurosurgery couple of years ago, and is currently director of the Johns Hopkins Pain Clinic. His interest is peripheral neuropathy and pain mgmt. He always has a resident in tow, and is very oriented to teaching. Nice guy.

Dr Campbell was my surgical second opinion ~ 1 year ago...and I followed up with him last week re: Lyrica and pain management going forward during recovery. Having recently gotten/read the second opinion report (reflecting his assessment from a year ago), I was struck by his strong reco for surgery for me, that it was the only way for me to get better (versus drugs and PT and injections). It was 3 pages in length, reflecting our 1.5 hr meeting.

So I would consider him to be a top doc and he is not too far from you.
Best to you,
brother RR

[Ymei5]

Thank you for this helpful info.for this best pain Clinics. I guess there just aren't any good ones near me. actually if you search such kinds of best paid or free medical clinics online, you may find them which you really needed!