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.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Arizona has 116 practicing pain medicine doctors. Broken out by city, pain medicine doctor density in Bullhead City is 3, in Casa Grande is 1, in Chandler is 8, in Cottonwood is 3, in Flagstaff is 5, in Gilbert is 1, in Glendale is 12, in Goodyear is 1, in Kingman is 1, in Lake Havasu City is 1, in Mesa is 17, in Paradise Valley is 1, in Payson is 1, in Peoria is 3, in Phoenix is 51, in Prescott is 1, in Scottsdale is 33, in Show Low is 1, in Sun City is 1, in Surprise is 1, in Tempe is 7, in Tucson is 18, in Winslow is 1, and in Yuma is 1.

Arizona has many famous tourist attractions and parks, including the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, which was created when the dam was built. The Grand Canyon draws millions of visitors each year, and Phoenix, Scottsdale, Flagstaff each draw their own sun-seeking winter vacationers. Visit the world-famous O.K. Corral in Tombstone. Arizona’s population is 5,939,292, and Phoenix, the capital city, is home to a majority of those people. Entertainers Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, and Tanya Tucker were born here, along with architect Frank Lloyd Wright and former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Arizona has a population of 5,939,292. Of this population, 1,535,805 are under the age of 18 and 754,345 are at or above the age of 65.