Pain management doctors in New Mexico

Who regulates care in New Mexico

• Physician licenses: New Mexico Medical Board
• Work injuries: New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration
• Medicaid program: Turquoise Care (New Mexico Medicaid)

What a pain management doctor does

Pain management physicians diagnose where long-lasting pain comes from and treat it with targeted injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, medication management and, for some patients, implanted devices. They usually work alongside your primary doctor, surgeon and physical therapist. Most patients see one after pain has lasted more than a few weeks.

Choosing a pain doctor in Albuquerque

• Check the license with the New Mexico Medical Board. Physicians can also be looked up on DocInfo.org.
• Ask whether the doctor is board certified in pain medicine (through anesthesiology, PM&R or neurology).
• Ask which procedures are done in the office and which at a surgery center, and who reads your imaging.
• Bring a list of medicines, prior imaging (MRI, X-ray) and the dates your pain started or changed.