Washington, D.C. is home to 31 practicing pain medicine doctors who have offices in 1 county and 13 zip codes, including zip codes 20010, 20007, 20037, 20016, 20060, 20015, 20036, 20032, 20020, 20017, 20008, 20006, and 20001.

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 17,758 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.