Chronic Pain (Emory Pain Clinic)

Emory Pain Clinic is one of the leading pain clinics in the nation with a strong focus on resident/fellow teaching as well as research output. The clinic focuses on opioid-free medical and procedural interventions for our patients, and will work with patients to transition them off of opioids as tolerated. Residents will divide their time between the clinic and performing chronic pain procedures at Executive Park. While in clinic, residents usually focus on seeing new patients with emphasis placed on gathering clinical history, performing physical examinations, and developing a differential diagnosis and plan to present to the attending for discussion. Residents gain significant experience in counseling patients and developing a plan with the patients for the next visit. Pain syndromes encountered include Marie-Charcot-Tooth syndrome, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, and numerous facial pain syndromes along with various forms of back pain, headache, and arthritis. 

In addition to clinic, residents will have several days throughout the chronic pain month to join attendings and fellows at Executive Park where chronic pain procedures are performed. Residents will help review and update H&Ps for patients in addition to setting up the procedure room. They will be expected to assist with and perform nerve blocks, ablations, epidural steroid injections, and sacroiliac injections. Occasionally, residents will gain additional opportunities to scrub in and assist with procedures such as celiac plexus blocks or spinal cord stimulator placements scheduled in the ORs at Emory University Hospital. Our residents gain valuable experience in chronic pain management with many choosing to continue with chronic pain fellowships following residency.