When you require immediate pain relief solutions, who do you choose? This can be difficult due to the many sub-categories available. It is crucial to identify the right medical professional to relieve your pain. Both orthopedic surgeons and pain management specialists can help. This guide will help to identify the differences. We’ll be discussing their training, which medical conditions they treat, and whether or not both can perform joint injections. Continue reading to learn more.
What does an Orthopedic Surgeon do for you?
Orthopedic surgeons focus on the musculoskeletal systems, which includes the bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. It plays an important role in our bodies. It allows you to move around, lift things, write, type, talk, and more. An orthopedic surgeon can locate broken bones and fix them. An orthopedic surgeon can treat all 200 bones in the body. Orthopedic surgeons can treat any condition, including arthritis, hip pain, chronic degenerative, or acute conditions.
Because orthopedic treats a broad range of problems, it can be divided into different treatment categories. Joint surgeons can only treat problems in the knee or hip. They are also able to treat arthritis, which affects more than half the adults over 65. The treatment of wrist and hand problems is done by wrist and hand surgeons. If you are looking to solve your pain issues, it is important that you understand the rules of each orthopedic surgeon.
What does a Pain Management Specialist do?
The treatment of back and neck pain is done by pain management specialists. They are concerned with the patient’s well-being and ability to perform daily tasks. If your primary care provider is having difficulty diagnosing the cause of your medical problem, he might refer you to a pain management physician.
Physiatrists are specialists in the musculoskeletal region. A physiatrist’s role is to devise a plan for pain relief or management that does not require surgery. Other professionals include anesthesiologists and oncologists, occupational therapists as well as psychologists, nurses, physical therapists, and psychologists.
What are the differences between an Orthopedic Surgeon & Pain Management Specialists?
Knowing the differences will help you make the best decision. Continue reading to learn the differences between an orthopedic surgeon, and a pain management physician.
Training
Four years of medical school are required for orthopedic surgeons. They also need to complete at least five years of residency. A fellowship is also required for orthopedic surgeons. It focuses on one specific area of surgery: joint surgery, spinal cord surgery, foot and ankle surgery. Fellowship can last from one to two years. Because there is so much to be learned about the musculoskeletal system, orthopedic residencies can be very long and competitive. Many applicants for residency are not placed. Only 755 students were chosen from over 1,037 applicants in 2019. Only the most talented students will be placed. Placement success requires outstanding medical school grades, exceptional licensing exam scores, unmatched research skills and outstanding clinical rotations performance.
Four years of premedical school is required and four years of medical school are required for pain management specialists. They can choose to do residency in anesthesiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation after they have completed medical school. The study of rehabilitation and physical medicine is known as physiatry. It should not be confused with psychoiatry. Anesthesiologists and physiatrists may be trained in pain management. Many physiatrists or anesthesiologists will continue their training by completing a fellowship in pain management.
Different types of medical issues that each specialist covers
Now that we know what training is, let’s look at the types of pain professionals deal with:
Specialist in Pain Management
Specialists in pain management can treat a variety of pain conditions. They assess the patient and determine the root cause of the problem to create the best treatment plan. The problem these specialists treat is broken down into three categories: nerve injuries, direct tissue injury, and a combination of nerve and tissue injuries.
Tissue injuries can lead to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid and other disorders. Multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, spinal cord injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis are all common nerve conditions. Tissue and nerve injuries can include back pain, neck pain, cancer, or neck pain.
Doctors who treat pain management patients usually begin treatment with medication or physical therapy. Hard-to-treat problems may then be treated by more advanced techniques, including pain pump stimulators, viscosupplementation, or radiofrequency ablation.
Orthopedic Surgeon
Most conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system can be treated by an orthopedic surgeon. An orthopedic surgeon can treat the following conditions:
- Fractures.
- Low back pain
- Osteoporosis.
- Shoulder pain
- Soft tissue injury.
- Kyphosis.
- Pain in the knees
- Hand pain.
- Wrist pain.
- Fibromyalgia.
- Bursitis.
- Arthritis.
- Hip pain.
- Scoliosis.
- Paget’s bone disease.
- Pain in the elbow
- Foot pain.
- Ligaments injuries.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Torn meniscus.
- Medial epicondylitis
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, orthopedic surgeons perform more than 32 procedures per month. Here are some of the most popular orthopedic procedures:
- Osteotomy. This involves reshaping broken joints and rehabilitating bones. The surgeon will remove the deformed bones and reconstruct them.
- Debridement. To facilitate healing, the surgeon will remove damaged soft tissue.
- Fusion Surgery. This procedure is ideal for patients suffering from severe arthritis or joint pain. To increase stability, the surgeon will combine two bones.
- Bone Fracture Repair. To speed up healing, surgeons attach pins or screws to fractured bones.
- Joint replacement. This procedure involves the surgical removal of a damaged or missing joint. It is replaced by a prosthesis, which can be made of ceramic, metal or plastic.
- Revision Joint Surgery. This is when the prosthesis begins to fail. The prosthesis is taken out and replaced by a new one.
- Soft Tissue Repair. This procedure involves removing tissue that is damaged and replacing it with healthy tissue.
- Arthroscopy. This is the best procedure to treat joint pains. To diagnose and treat any underlying issues, the surgeon will make a small cut in your skin.
