A Patient’s Guide to Pain Management

Written by three doctors, David Kloth, Andrea Trescot and Francis Riegler, with years of experience in pain management, Pain-Wise: A Patient’s Guide to Pain Management simplifies the confusing and often overwhelming process of finding treatment for chronic pain. It will teach you the basics of how pain works, explain different interventional pain therapies in layman’s terms, and help you find a doctor that can manage, and potentially relieve, your chronic suffering.

The authors understand that suffering from chronic pain can be incredibly isolating and frustrating. Visiting doctor after doctor can leave you feeling as if there is no treatment for your pain. This book is designed to be a first step to understanding treatments that can help manage pain.

Image from www.ctpaincare.com

Though doctors have tried to treat patients in pain throughout history, more recently, focused training and certification in pain medicine has resulted in the emergence of a new specialty designed to help people suffering from chronic pain.

Pain-Wise also includes expert advice on:

– Identifying various parts of the body that can cause pain, using a simple anatomy guide
– How to choose a pain specialist who is right for you
– Getting the most out of your doctor’s visits
– Basic explanations of common interventional pain management techniques
– Information on minimally invasive surgery techniques
– Explanation of implantable therapies for the treatment of severe chronic pain

We caught up with the doctors to ask a few questions:

What made you decide to write this book? 

Patients were largely in the dark about how to find a good pain doctor, the causes of pain, and the multitude of treatment options that exist. We were very concerned that patients did not seem to understand their options. We met patients from all walks of life who had no clue what might be available in terms of pain medicine other that opioids.

Who should read Pain-Wise? 

Patients in pain, family members of pain patients, and primary care doctors.

[pullquote]”I have lived with severe scoliosis and associated lower back pain. This book explains and illustrates the treatments that have been of most value to me. Having read the book, I can better explain and pin-point symptoms and the effects of both facet injections and radio frequency ablations (facet rhyzomoties). I now understand, for example, why the pain in my toe is caused at a facet joint in my back, and what options I have for treatment.” – B. Campbell from Amazon customer review[/pullquote]

What’s one thing everyone should do or a question everyone should ask at doctor’s visits?

If they are seeing a surgeon “What are my alternatives?” If they are seeing a pain doctor already, know about his or her qualifications and training and ask, “What can I do to help myself along with the proposed treatments?” At the end of most chapters in the book, there are questions that patients should ask their doctors.

What is one thing that people may misunderstand about pain management? 

There is a lot more to pain management than just drugs. Good pain management first and foremost starts with proper diagnosis of the underlying condition and then provides treatment recommendations directed at the specific causes to alleviate symptoms and decrease reliance on medications.

What makes Pain-Wise a valuable source?

It is easy to read and understand and was created in a reference type format. While physicians will benefit from all aspects of the book, patients can pick and choose the sections that are relevant to their specific issues and in five or six pages have an adequate understanding of their condition and its treatment.

Pain-Wise can be purchase on Amazon or iTunes.

About the Doctors:

David Kloth, M.D. is an anesthesiologist specializing in pain management. Dr. Kloth founded Connecticut Pain Care, where he continues to serve as the President and Medical Director and is the Founder and Executive Director of the Connecticut Pain Society. He now serves on the Board of ASIPP and NANS and is an examiner for the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians.

Andrea Trescot, M.D. is a Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice and an examiner for the World Institute of Pain. Dr. Trescot has 20 years of experience as a pain clinic Director in private practice and serves on the Board of ASIPP. For more information about Dr. Trescot, visit www.drtrescot.com.

Francis Riegler, M.D., M.B.A. is President of the California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians as well as President and Co-Founder of Universal Pain Management. Dr. Riegler serves on the Board of ASIPP and currently lectures resident and fellow physicians about healthcare economics.