Practice Setup

Abstract

Patients that suffer from chronic pain exist in multiple specialties including primary care, surgery, pain, and neurology. Pain encompasses many disease processes, therefore demonstrating the importance of relationships between implanting neuromodulators and potential referring physicians. It is known that at least 30–40 % of spine surgery patients will develop post-laminectomy syndrome/failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). As a spine surgeon your practice will experience patients that have persistent pain despite a successful spinal surgery, as well as patients who have chronic pain that lacks a surgical pathology. The ability to offer your patient options fosters the doctor–patient relationship. There are several relationships that can exist between the surgeon and the pain physician in order to deliver successful pain management, as well as with various other specialties.