Washington, D.C. is home to 34 practicing pain medicine doctors who have offices in 1 county and 14 zip codes, including zip codes 20037, 20010, 20007, 20307, 20016, 20036, 20015, 20011, 20422, 20032, 20020, 20017, 20008, and 20006.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Washington, D.C. has a population of 550,521, which gives it a specialist to resident ratio of 1 pain medicine doctor for every 16,191 residents.

Description

Pain medicine specialists work with patients to relieve suffering and discomfort that may be present during a medical or surgical procedure, or because of a disease or condition. An anesthesiologist is a physician who has had special training and is board-certified in pain management. A pain medicine specialist can be an anesthesiologist, neurologist, or psychiatrist. This specialist is either the primary physician, or acts as a consultant, to coordinate a patient’s care with other physicians.

For chronic or severe pain, narcotics are often used. Narcotics carry with them a potential for side effects and addiction, so patients and physicians must weigh the level of pain against these concerns in the pain management process.