Acute pain is often dismissed as something to handle alone with over-the-counter meds. However, treating it properly is essential to faster healing, reduced bodily stress, and — most importantly — preventing acute discomfort from turning into a life-altering chronic condition.
While some issues only require a “team of one” (like a primary care doctor or a specialist), research shows that for more complex pain, a multidisciplinary approach leads to superior outcomes and lower costs.
“A comprehensive pain management team often includes a primary care physician for overall care and prescribing medications,” says Bryan Marascalchi, MD, an anesthesiologist and pain medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. “And then, depending on the injury, pain physicians, physical and occupational therapists, mental health providers, nurses, rehab specialists, and even nutritionists.”
Your primary care provider (PCP) usually leads this team, but specialized programs are emerging. Transitional pain services and comprehensive interdisciplinary pain management practices at academic hospitals now exist to bridge the gap between acute post-op pain and the possibility of more complex chronic pain, says Dr. Marascalchi.
Here's a closer look at who may be on your acute pain care team, and how their specialty can help you.
Primary Care Physician (PCP) Your primary care physician acts like a quarterback, serving as the point person for your initial care. PCPs may be internists or family physicians, and may diagnose an injury, prescribe early treatment and then, if necessary, refer you to a specialist. For example, for someone with acute pain caused by lower back pain, a PCP may recommend a consultation with an orthopedic specialist or neurologist.
Pain Management Doctor This medical specialist has a background in a primary area of medicine (anesthesiology, neurology, internal medicine) as well as additional training in the diagnosis and treatment of painful medical conditions. A pain management physician may both prescribe and administer medicines, often as injections in the joints, spine, nerves, and muscles.
Nurse The role of this professional is vast and varied, and may include gathering your health history, giving information about an injury and its care, managing doses of medication, monitoring vital signs, and working with a physician or pain management specialist.
Physical Therapist (PT) After the initial pain from an injury or operation is treated, there may be ongoing issues with a patient’s ability to move and function. This is where a physical therapist comes in. A PT can provide exercises and hands-on therapy to help you restore mobility.
Occupational Therapist (OT) In the case of acute pain, an occupational therapist’s job focuses on the restoration of function by teaching techniques to perform tasks without pain. An OT may set weekly goals after an injury or surgery, develop a routine of exercises, and introduce assistive devices for regaining skills. OTs may also teach how to dress more easily, cook and do chores in ways that protect healing, reduce strain, and allow for breaks to rest and recover.
Therapist or Psychologist Acute pain doesn’t typically lead to a serious mental health condition, but it might become a concern if the discomfort lingers and becomes chronic, says Stefan Kertesz, MD, a pain management specialist and professor of medicine at the University of Alabama Heersink School of Medicine in Birmingham. That said, dealing with any level of pain can impact one’s emotions. A therapist or psychologist can step in to offer talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy that may include coping mechanisms to ease negative thinking, breathing and relaxation exercises, and mindfulness techniques.
Pharmacist You know a pharmacist fills drug orders, but this professional can also help check for potential interactions with any other medications you're taking as well as explain dosages and side effects, especially if opioids are a part of the recommended pain relief plan.
Nutritionist Because acute pain is temporary, your diet may not need changing in any specific way. But good nutrition can help with pain and inflammation in the body by speeding the healing process and building the immune system. A nutritionist can offer shopping and cooking tips and meal plans that may improve your diet and overall health.
The Takeaway
Teamwork makes the dream work. Depending on the cause of your pain, a group of professionals may be your best bet to help you heal better and faster.
Pain management is customized. The doctors and therapists assigned to help with a hip replacement may not be the same group for someone who’s had a mastectomy; depending on your injury and health status, the right team will be assembled.
Healing is both physical and mental. A multidisciplinary approach to acute pain management is fully supportive, managing your medications, mobility, mood, and more.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician and an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the director of the care management program at Weill Cornell Medical College. Helping patients understand health information and make informed decisions, and communicating health topics effectively both in person and through patient educational content, is a challenge that animates his daily life, and something he is always working to improve.
Dr. Sinha did his undergraduate training at the University of California in Berkeley, where he graduated magna cum laude. He earned his medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City in 1998 and completed his internship and residency training at the New York University School of Medicine in 2001. Subsequently, he worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs from 2001 to 2012 and held faculty appointments at both the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
In 2006, he won the VISN3 Network Director Award for Public Service and a commendation from the secretary of Veterans Affairs for his relief work after Hurricane Katrina. He joined Weill Cornell Medical College in 2012, where he is an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the director of the care management program, as well as a practicing physician.
In addition to his work for Everyday Health, Sinha has written for various publications, including Sharecare and Drugs.com; published numerous papers in peer-reviewed medical journals, such as the Journal of General Internal Medicine; and presented at national conferences on many healthcare delivery topics. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
Jennifer Kelly Geddes is a New York City-based freelance writer and editor, who covers health, wellness, pregnancy, and parenting. She has held positions at Food & Wine, Parenting, Seventeen, and Airbnb magazines and was a research editor at Parenting for more than a decade. Jennifer has also worked as a research editor for Kiwi, Scholastic Parent & Child, Dr. Oz: The Good Life, Modern Farmer, CR Fashion Book, V, VMan, Parents, and National Geographic Kids. She has created custom content for dozens of websites, including Care, SafeBee, Fisher-Price, Mastercard, the National Sleep Foundation, Realtor, Working Mother, Grandparents, Time Out New York KIDS, Good Housekeeping, and Chewy. She holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College and an MA from Columbia University. And she is the mom of two teen girls and a rescue pup named Django. An avid tennis player, cross-country skier, and yoga enthusiast, she divides her time between West Harlem in Manhattan and Ghent, New York.
