6 Mistakes Pain Patients Make

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Seeing the wrong doctor

Even if pain patients do need to participate more actively in their care, Penney Cowan, executive director of the American Chronic Pain Association, says a big piece of the puzzle is still missing: physician education.

"Most physicians have received minimal training in pain management," Cowan says. "It's not part of the curriculum."

Cowan points unhappy patients to the American Board of Pain Medicine, where they can find a physician trained in pain management.