This post was written by Dr. Andrius Giedraitis, Pain Management at Parkview Bryan Hospital.
If you’re living with ongoing pain, your primary care physician (PCP) is usually the first person you talk to—and for good reason. PCPs are trained to diagnose common conditions, manage medications, coordinate referrals and care for your overall health. They play a critical role in the healthcare system and often help patients take the first steps toward understanding why they hurt.
So why would someone ever need to see a pain management specialist? The short answer: pain specialists bring a different depth of training and a much broader set of tools designed specifically for complex, persistent or hard-to-treat pain. In this post, we break down how one of these specialists can be a valuable addition to your care team.
Different training and focus
Primary care physicians are generalists by design. They manage everything from high blood pressure and diabetes to infections, preventive care, and mental health screening. Chronic pain is only one piece of a much larger scope of practice.
Pain management physicians complete additional fellowship training focused entirely on pain. This includes advanced education in:
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How pain signals work in the nervous system
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Spine and joint conditions
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Image-guided procedures
This technical training enables pain specialists to evaluate pain more precisely and match patients with targeted treatments, rather than relying solely on medication-based approaches.
More time and a deeper evaluation
A typical PCP visit is often limited by time and competing priorities. When pain is persistent, complex or affecting daily function, it can require longer, more detailed conversations.
Pain management visits are structured around understanding:
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Where the pain is coming from
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How long it’s been present
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What makes it better or worse
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How it impacts sleep, work and daily activities
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What’s already been tried
This functional, whole-person assessment helps move care beyond “treating symptoms” toward building a personalized pain plan.
An expanded toolkit beyond medications
PCPs often start pain treatment with medications, physical therapy referrals, and lifestyle recommendations. These are appropriate and helpful first steps for many patients.
Pain specialists, however, have access to an expanded toolbox, including:
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Targeted joint injections
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Nerve blocks
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Spinal cord stimulation evaluations
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Advanced diagnostic imaging review
These options aim to treat pain closer to its source, potentially reducing the need for long-term medication use.
Reducing reliance on long-term medications
Long-term use of certain pain medications can come with risks, including side effects, tolerance and dependence. National guidelines emphasize using multimodal approaches to pain care—not medication alone.
Pain management specialists are trained to build care plans that combine:
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Interventional treatments
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Physical therapy
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Behavioral strategies
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Non-opioid medications
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Lifestyle modifications
A partner to your PCP
Seeing a pain specialist doesn’t mean you stop seeing your primary care doctor. In fact, the best outcomes often come from collaboration. Your PCP continues managing your overall health while your pain specialist focuses on targeted pain treatment.
Think of pain management as adding a specialist to your care team—not replacing the foundation your PCP provides.
Find care
At Parkview Bryan Hospital's Pain Management Clinic in Ohio, our team offers personalized and balanced care with no referral necessary. To learn more or schedule an appointment with one of our providers, call 419-633-7343.
At PPG—Pain Management in Indiana, appointments are by referral only. If you suspect you need to see a pain management specialist, contact your primary care physician.
