Pain medicine is what I do every day.

The art of pain management is difficult, and the journey is long. When it comes to spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for patients who are experiencing pain, this isn’t a decision that is made in one or two initial patient consultations.

When patients sit down in my office, I tell them I have a referral from their GP or other specialist that I will not read until I hear their story from them.

Before we talk about their pain, I ask them about themselves — their age and interests, their cat’s name, where they live, what they do, all the factors that influence who they are as a person. Because their pain is influenced by all those things as well.