Pain Management
West of Scotland Chronic Pain Education Group
The Pain Team
Your chronic pain service consists of several types of specialist who work in a multi-disciplinary environment to optimise the management of your pain. You may see one or more of these clinicians at your initial appointment:
Specialists and what they do
- A Doctor specialising in Pain Medicine: —to diagnose your symptoms, explain treatment options, prescribe medication, make onward referrals to other specialists and oversee your treatment pathway.
- A Clinical Nurse Specialist: —to alter medication at drug review clinics, run information classes, apply Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and acupuncture therapies
- A Specialist Physiotherapist: —to assess functional impairment and create an individual reactivation or rehabilitation program.
- A Clinical Psychologist: —to assist with the development of better coping mechanisms, the management of negative thoughts and to initiate structured psychology treatments: such as Cognitive Based Therapy (CBT) or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
- A Psychiatrist or specialist in Drug Addiction: —to assist in the management of depression or weaning from opioid medication.
- A Pain Management Programme —following initial assessment and treatments you may be referred on to a structured environment (inpatient or outpatient) where several of the above specialists oversee an intensive, time-limited course to develop self-management techniques.
Depending on the complexity of your case, your management plan may be created immediately, or the clinicians may prefer to discuss your pain further at a multidisciplinary meeting. Following this initial assessment and plan you will return to see one or more of the individuals as an outpatient. There are printable and audio drug information leaflets, as well as information on some common procedures, available on this site. If you have any questions about your pain management plan please ask your doctor or specialists for further information.