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. Iowa has 65 practicing pain medicine doctors. Broken out by city, pain medicine doctor density in Ames is 3, in Bettendorf is 1, in Boone is 1, in Cedar Falls is 3, in Cedar Rapids is 3, in Clinton is 2, in Council Bluffs is 1, in Davenport is 4, in Des Moines is 14, in Dubuque is 1, in Fort Dodge is 2, in Glenwood is 1, in Grinnell is 2, in Grundy Center is 2, in Iowa City is 21, in Ottumwa is 2, in Pella is 1, in Sioux City is 4, in Spencer is 1, in Sumner is 2, in Toledo is 1, in Waterloo is 8, and in West Des Moines is 8.

Iowa’s capital is Des Moines, home to Drake University. Iowa achieved Statehood 1846, and the state’s population is now 2,996,334. The Mississippi river borders the state on the east, and a majority of the state’s economic output is agricultural. Many cultural and entertainment opportunities exist for visitors to the “quad cities” of Davenport and Bettendorf, IA, and Rock Island and Moline, IL. Numerous museums, arts, music and sports events are available in Iowa, including the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, the Amana Colonies, and the Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead. Famous people born in Iowa: Buffalo Bill, entertainers Johnny Carson and John Wayne, and former president Herbert Hoover.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Iowa has a population of 2,966,334. Of this population, 656,031 are under the age of 18 and 434,196 are at or above the age of 65.