What Conditions Qualify a Patient for Pain Management?

At Family Medicine Healthcare, our dedicated providers understand that chronic pain can profoundly impact your quality of life, daily activities, and overall well-being. Our comprehensive chronic pain management services help patients effectively address persistent pain conditions, offering tailored care directly within our compassionate, family oriented practice.

One of the most common conditions we treat at Family Medicine Healthcare is chronic back pain, including discomfort resulting from degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, or sciatica. Our providers also routinely help patients manage osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disorder characterized by stiffness, swelling, and chronic pain, typically affecting knees, hips, and hands.

Chronic neck pain related to injury, poor posture, or degenerative changes is another area we frequently address within our practice. We offer specialized care plans for fibromyalgia, a complex disorder involving widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and sensitivity, tailored to each patient’s unique experience.

Our practice provides comprehensive management for neuropathic pain conditions such as diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia (pain following shingles), and nerve pain resulting from trauma or surgery. Additionally, Family Medicine Healthcare’s providers regularly assist patients suffering from chronic headache disorders, including migraines and cluster headaches, using evidence based approaches designed to improve quality of life.

Our healthcare providers determine eligibility for pain management through a comprehensive and compassionate assessment process tailored to each patient’s individual needs. Our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to ensuring safe, effective, and personalized pain relief strategies.

Initially, our providers perform a thorough medical evaluation that includes reviewing your medical history, previous treatments, and current medications. During your visit to Family Medicine Healthcare, your provider will conduct a detailed physical examination and may recommend diagnostic tests, such as imaging studies or laboratory testing, to accurately identify underlying causes of your pain.

Beyond medical factors, we closely evaluate your reported pain intensity, frequency, and duration, and carefully assess how your pain impacts your daily activities, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life. Our providers utilize standardized assessment tools and validated questionnaires to objectively measure your pain levels and functional impairment, ensuring precise and effective treatment planning.

We also understand the importance of psychological and social factors in managing chronic pain effectively. Our healthcare team considers your emotional health, mental well-being, coping skills, support networks, and potential risk factors for medication misuse. Evaluating these psychosocial elements allows us to design a safe, appropriate, and beneficial pain management plan specifically for you.

At Family Medicine Healthcare, we understand that effective pain management is essential to improving quality of life and restoring functionality for our patients. Dr. Samir Abdelshaheed, MD utilizes personalized strategies designed to address both acute and chronic pain conditions, taking into account each patient’s unique needs, medical history, and lifestyle.

Acute pain typically arises suddenly due to injury, illness, or surgical procedures, and generally resolves once the underlying cause is effectively treated. Our team addresses acute pain by promptly identifying its root cause and applying targeted, short-term interventions. These may include appropriate medications such as analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs, short-term use of opioids when necessary, as well as non-pharmacological treatments like physical therapy, heat or ice therapy, and relaxation techniques to enhance recovery.

In contrast, chronic pain involves ongoing discomfort that persists for three months or longer, affecting patients physically, emotionally, and psychologically. At Family Medicine Healthcare, we adopt a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain management, designed to address all components of patients’ health and well-being. Our providers collaborate closely with patients to develop treatment plans that combine medication management, physical therapy, psychological counseling, lifestyle modifications, and complementary therapies such as acupuncture, massage therapy, or mindfulness based stress reduction techniques.

At Family Medicine Healthcare, we understand that effective pain management begins with individualized care tailored to each patient’s unique medical profile. Underlying medical conditions significantly influence eligibility for and selection of pain management therapies. Our team carefully assess each patient’s overall health and medical history before prescribing medications or recommending treatments, ensuring the safest and most effective care possible.

For example, patients with liver or kidney disorders may have difficulty metabolizing certain pain medications, which increases the potential for adverse effects or toxicity. Our physicians meticulously evaluate liver and kidney function before prescribing medications, adjusting dosages, or selecting alternative therapies when necessary.

Respiratory conditions such as asthma or COPD also require a careful approach to pain management. Opioid based medications can suppress respiratory function, potentially exacerbating these conditions. Therefore, our medical team conducts thorough respiratory assessments and considers alternative, safer therapies for patients affected by these conditions.

Additionally, diabetes management can be complicated by certain pain medications that influence blood sugar levels or interact with diabetic medications. Our providers carefully coordinate treatment plans, ensuring optimal blood sugar control while effectively addressing pain symptoms.

At Family Medicine Healthcare, our commitment is to thoroughly assess each patient’s individual medical history and current health status. By understanding how underlying medical conditions interact with various pain management options, we ensure patient safety, minimize side effects, and maximize treatment effectiveness—helping our patients achieve a higher quality of life. For more information, contact us today or schedule an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 3925 Portsmouth Boulevard, Chesapeake, VA 23321. We serve patients from Chesapeake VA, Portsmouth VA, Norfolk VA, Suffolk VA, Virginia Beach VA, and Hampton VA.