Chronic pain management can’t wait for the end of the pandemic

(BPT) – When COVID-19 halted non-essential health services, the practitioners at Buffalo Spine and Sports Medicine knew immediately that chronic pain management essential care was even more critical during stressful times.

“The anxiety and isolation caused by COVID-19 adds to chronic pain, and further compounds it by reduced access to other activities that help alleviate discomfort,” said Michael Cicchetti, M.D., a board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist. As a result, patients may be more likely to turn to medications or alcohol, increasing the risk of misuse and abuse.

However, Dr. Cicchetti says pain management has actually improved due to COVID-19 by providing patients with greater access to their providers in a variety of ways:

Greater access through telehealth. In addition to in-person appointments, physicians are increasingly consulting with patients through video meetings and telephone calls. Using insurance-covered telehealth visits, pain medicine specialists see patients face-to-face via video or a simple phone call, asking and answering questions, and formulating a plan. Telehealth has removed many barriers to care. Patients don’t have to worry about getting an appointment or sitting for long periods in waiting rooms, and physicians can easily access patients’ electronic medical records while talking to them virtually. As a result, 95 percent of people seeing pain medicine specialists have continued to do so, often via telehealth, which likely will remain an option for the foreseeable future.

Expanded roles to meet patients’ needs. As many patients delayed seeing their primary care physicians, pain medicine specialists have helped to fill that role. Dr. Cicchetti says, “It is important for patients to understand the importance of seeking necessary treatment, such as visiting the emergency room if they are experiencing signs of stroke or angina, a symptom of heart disease. However, they also need to know that pain medicine specialists have revised their office visit practices for in-person appointments, requiring masks and staggering appointments, to keep patients safe when being seen in person is important.”

Long-lasting, minimally invasive techniques reduce visits and hospitalizations. To reduce the frequency of visits while keeping patients out of the hospital, pain medicine specialists focus on office-based treatments that can ease pain for six months or more. For example, rather than seeing patients in the clinic and scheduling a separate visit for an injection, we are trying the best we can to perform pain-relieving injections the same day (if insurance allows).

Dr. Cicchetti says, “Treatment for debilitating pain is complex in any circumstance, and even more so during this health crisis. Pain relief medical specialists are ensuring proper and effective approaches to help improve quality of life for patients during the pandemic and beyond.”

To learn more to get the help you need, and to make an appointment at Buffalo Spine and Sports Therapy, call 716-626-0093. Also visit www.buffspine.com to learn more.