Does your doctor have time to listen?

By Patricia Delzell, M.D., Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine Consultants, Inc.

In traditional medicine, today’s physicians often run from exam room to exam room with little time to address the complete spectrum of a patient’s needs. The goal of this model—driven largely by Medicare and insurance companies—is to see as many patients as possible, get a specific diagnosis, and prescribe a solution, if one exists.

That may be fine for a sinus infection, but it is not an effective model for chronic pain management.

At Advanced MMC, we address our patients’ full spectrum of needs and have built extra time into our system to make that happen. Relieving anxiety and stress is often an essential component of pain relief, so I talk directly with patients—one on one—about the stressors in their lives. These include the pain itself, yes, but also other issues like work, money, relationships, even the upcoming holidays.

Your initial consult with me will not be 10 minutes, but about 2-3 hours, often broken-up into two sessions. Initially, we will review your records and discuss your life and your goals for seeing me. I want to understand what your end point is. What does an improved quality of life look like to you? One patient recently told me, “I don’t care if I ever sit again, I just want to be able to dance!”

This is followed by an additional in-office visit where we review your goals, perform an ultrasound, and discuss a potential treatment plan. The ultrasound will reveal your soft tissues in motion to help determine the true physiological sources of your pain, which helps direct the treatments to bring you the relief you deserve. Sometimes what is perpetuating the pain has nothing to do with the pain itself. In fact, five patients can present with hamstring pain and receive five different treatment plans. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. And discovering the best treatment plan takes more time with the doctor than traditional medicine allows.

Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine Consultants’ new offices are at 8401 Chagrin Rd., Suite 20A, in Chagrin Falls. To schedule a chronic pain phone consultation, call 440-557-5011. Visit AdvancedMMC.com for more information, including blogs and videos.