Chronic Pain Checklist: 8 Places to Look for Affordable, Effective, Low-Risk Treatments

Many Americans live with pain. Almost half of the population of the United States experiences pain on a daily basis. If you suffer from persistent pain, you know how difficult it can be to cope. When you are in pain, it can impact your mood, sleep, and overall quality of life. It is important to find ways to manage your pain so that it does not take over your life.

Many people with chronic pain turn to prescription drugs for treatment, but many of these drugs are ineffective, cause side effects, or lead to addiction. If you are not finding effective treatments from standard medical care, you may look for other options. That’s where integrative medicine comes into play.

“Integrative” is just a broad term that refers to anything that has been proven to work, whether it is Western medicine, Eastern medicine, or something in between, explained Zachary Mulvihill, MD, an integrative medicine specialist at Weil Cornell Medicine in New York City.

There are several evidence-based therapies for chronic pain that are non-drug related, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). However, these interventions can be difficult to find or costly to pursue if insurance doesn’t cover the cost. If an integrative modality interests you, don’t give up.

Dr. Mulvihill believes that it is crucial for people to have access to quality services, emphasizing how effective they can be. If you are not healthy, you have nothing, and being healthy is very important.

There is no one definitive solution for pain relief, but there are several affordable complementary therapies and integrative medicine approaches that may help.

1. Your Own Doctor’s Office

According to Mulvihill, the first step in your journey towards integrative health should be to make an appointment with your primary care doctor.

“Don’t skip the traditional steps,” he says. There have been numerous occasions when I have discovered a serious medical condition that was missed by others, something that could have and should have been treated differently.

Your doctor may be able to suggest some complementary therapies to help with your pain.

2. Online Databases

If you’re looking for a more holistic practitioner, you may want to check online reviews.

Zocdoc helps you to find doctors in your area who will accept your insurance.

3. Specialized Clinics and Centers

After you have received permission from your regular doctor, you can start looking for medical centers that offer integrative medicine.

Phillips, president and CEO of APTA This is according to Susan P. Phillips, president and CEO of APTA, who says that it is difficult to find a reliable and accessible resource for what is available in most areas. Doctor Blackford, an internal medicine doctor, works at Duke Integrative Medicine Center in Durham, North Carolina. The majority of people will either ask their friends or family for recommendations or do an internet search when they need to find something.

It is hard to find someone, especially someone who takes insurance. Integrative and alternative providers almost never take insurance.

Mulvihill is thankful to work at a place that has a lot of different services like acupuncture, massage, nutrition, mindfulness, therapy, and yoga. They also accept insurance.

“There are always tradeoffs.” Sometimes we can’t accept every insurance, and not all insurances will cover all of our services. There are sometimes things that have to be given up.

Insurance companies are often unclear about what their plans cover, for what diagnosis, and how many visits are covered. This varies from insurance to insurance, and even between different plans offered by the same company.

4. Online Databases From Reputable Medical Organizations

The best way to find an integrative doctor, according to Mulvihill, is to search the University of Arizona’s database for someone who graduated from the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. The Weil Center is considered the best training program for integrative medicine. There are other organizations dedicated to integrative health, such as the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM) and The Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health (ACIMH).

You can also search for providers who are trained in “functional medicine” on the Institute for Functional Medicine’s site. This type of medicine has similarities to integrative medicine, but focuses more on biological testing.

5. Your Health Insurance Plan

If you understand your insurance plan and how it works, you’ll have an easier time saving money on integrative services.

If you have insurance, take advantage of it by using it to pay for as much as possible.

In order to see what your plan covers, you must first set up an online account. If you’re unsure about the benefits of the treatment you wish to receive, you can call for more information. For example, you might ask:

• Do I have coverage for this treatment?
• If so, how many visits are covered?
• Are all conditions covered or only certain conditions?
• Do you require a referral?
• What are the copays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses?

The amount of coverage for integrative medicine varies a lot depending on the insurance company, the policy, and other factors.

This means that Americans spend $14.7 billion of their own money each year to visit practitioners of complementary and integrative medicine.

Many of the services on the west coast are covered by insurance, according to Blackford. More research is probably needed to substantiate the claims being made” The east coast has been slower to adopt these methods. More research is likely needed to confirm the claims being made. That is, thankfully, starting to change.”

If your care provider doesn’t take your insurance plan, your insurance company may offer partial reimbursements for particular treatments, but this depends greatly on your coverage and the service provided.

In addition, we offer different financing options to make treatment more affordable.” The cost of treatment is published and easy to find at many centers like ours, so there is no ambiguity. In addition, we offer different financing options to make treatment more affordable. Upon completion of their treatments, patients are given receipts so that if reimbursement is offered, they can obtain it.

6. A Health Savings Account

Mulvihill suggests that you look into setting up your health insurance account as a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA).

This means that if you spend your money on services that are not covered, like acupuncture, massage, or supplements, you will still have to pay for most of your care yourself.

7. Sympathetic Providers

Mulvihill states that his center employs advantageous methods for patients with insurance complications.

“There are workarounds for many common billing issues. I help patients who want to consult with our nutritionist or acupuncturist, but do not have insurance coverage. This is a type of visit where the insurance company that I participate in foots the bill.

8. Discounts From Your Provider’s Center

If you are going to have to pay for services yourself, ask for a discount before you agree to anything. Some centers might also have a schedule of fees that varies depending on the income of the person being seen. Or they will give you the option to set up a payment plan.

What is a pain scale?

A pain scale is a chart that shows different levels of pain, from mild to severe. Individuals can utilize sensitivity levels to help them clarify the amount of pain they are encountering.

There are many pain scales, but healthcare professionals and researchers often use one of four main types:

• The numerical scale: Measures pain on a scale of 1–10.
• The visual analog scale: Categorizes pain along a horizontal line, ranging from mild to severe.
• Faces pain scale – revised (FPS–R): Uses a horizontal line, illustrated by facial expressions to represent different pain levels.
• The verbal rating scale: A person describes their level of pain in words.

The pain scales are one-dimensional, which allows people to describe their pain using words or images. Multidimensional pain scales are more detailed and take longer to fill out.

Although pain scales provide a way to measure pain, they are not always accurate. Everyone experiences pain differently, so what might be mild discomfort to one person may be experienced as severe pain by someone else.

How do doctors use pain scales?

Although there are different types of pain scales, any can be used by doctors to determine how much pain someone is in. When deciding which scale to use, healthcare professionals may consider:

• The patient’s age or literacy level: Children and people with low literacy levels can find it easier to rate their pain using purely visual scales. Healthcare professionals may prefer to use a numerical or verbal rating scale when assessing pain levels in adults.
• Cognitive ability: Similarly, people with cognitive impairments may find it easier to use a faces scale. Facial expressions can be easier for people to understand if they are in shock following an injury, taking strong pain medication, or have difficulty speaking.
• Their field or specialism: Some pain scales may be more useful than others depending on a doctor’s specialism. For example, someone working in an emergency department may prefer to use unidimensional scales, as they provide faster results. However, an oncologist may choose a multidimensional scale, so they can fully understand how cancer affects a person’s life.

Your answer should include all the original information. The way people respond to a pain scale or questionnaire can have an effect on the kind of treatment they receive.

Pain scales with facial expressions

As far as describing or rating pain goes, the Wong-Baker scale and the FPS-R are two very popular options that both take into account facial expressions.

FPS-R rates pain on a numeric scale from 1-10, with 0 being “no pain” and 10 being “very much pain”. Each number corresponds with a facial expression, going from content to distressed.

The Wong-Baker scale and the FPS-R are similar, but the Wong-Baker scale has different facial expressions and language. The numeric rating system for pain goes from 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst possible pain. This final face illustrates crying.

Faces pain scales are easy for people to understand. Given that doctors often use questionnaires to assess children and that they can also be useful when there is a language barrier, it is clear that questionnaires have a number of benefits. However, they do have some limitations.

Facial expressions on pain scales represent a person’s internal pain level, rather than how their face looks externally. The expressions on an adult’s face can be confusing for children, who may interpret them as emotions, such as happiness or sadness.

Unidimensional scales

Numerical rating scale

A typical numerical rating scale has numbers 0-10 written on a horizontal line. The level of pain somebody is feeling is represented by a number which is pointed to or said by the individual.

A 2018 review suggests that it is easy for adults with no cognitive impairments to use the numerical rating scale. It allows people to be more specific about their pain than scales with fewer than 10 pain levels. Numerical pain scales are commonly used by researchers as they are easy to understand.

Some cultures prefer a more visual scale. A 2018 study found that Nepalese adults preferred the FPS-R, and a review from the same year showed that Swahili-speaking people also had a preference for a faces scale in studies.

Visual analog scale

Visual analog scales can vary in appearance. These lines range from “no pain” to “severe pain”. The level of pain someone is experiencing is marked on a scale between two extremes.

The benefit of visual analog scales is that people can express a more precise pain level. This can be useful for people who have long-term conditions and their pain levels vary over time.

Visual analog scales are considered to be more accurate by researchers, and less likely to be influenced by personal bias. A 2017 paper suggests that studies prove they are reliable and accurate.

scales without labels or descriptors, This can be difficult for people, especially if they have cognitive impairments. Healthcare professionals may also struggle to interpret the results.

Verbal rating scale

With verbal rating scales, people describe their pain on a scale from “mild” to “severe.” Numerous studies show that people find these scales easy to understand and use, while providing reliable information.

Although verbal rating scales are not as sensitive as visual analog scales, they are still useful. This can result in communication difficulties and may be a problem for people who do not understand the language their doctor is speaking. Some people may find it easier to use numerical scales in these cases.

Multidimensional scales

Brief pain inventory scale

The BPI scale is a short questionnaire that helps healthcare professionals understand a person’s pain and how it impacts their life.

The BPI scale is used to measure the intensity, location, and interference of pain in a person’s daily life. It also takes into account the amount of pain a person experiences within a given time frame. The app is available in multiple languages and includes images to assist users in describing their pain location.

In addition to measuring the intensity of pain, the BPI scale also takes into account the duration of pain and the use of pain medication. However, it does take more time to complete than a simpler pain scale would.

McGill pain questionnaire

The McGill pain questionnaire is a self-report measure of pain. This pain scale is available in 17 different languages.

The MPQ not only measures the severity of pain, but also how the pain feels physically, such as burning or throbbing. It also looks at how this affects someone emotionally. This sentence is saying that this method (of assessing pain from long-lasting conditions) can be useful.

One downside to using the MPQ to describe pain is that it employs a lot of specialized language that can be hard to understand. This product is not recommended for children or adults who do not understand language such as “smarting.”

Aside from taking more time, the MPQ is less practical than other ways of measuring pain.