Pain is a complex beast. People can have chronic pain from cancer, arthritis, injuries, or just plain back pain. The Institute of Medicine issued a report stating that about 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. That’s more than heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined!
Pain management comprises of a multi-disciplinary approach to the treatment of chronic pain. Meaning it’s usually a team of pain doctors, psychologists, and therapists all working together towards reducing the amount of pain a patient has. There are 2 major ways to become a pain management doctor. They are both high in salary but there is a significant difference.
Just how much do pain medicine doctors make?
A reported median is $340,506 with the most common ranging from $273,297 to $398,304. These numbers align more with pain management doctors who do not practice anesthesiology. Doctors who do practice pain medicine with anesthesiology report an average of $502,024 per year! If you are just starting out, anesthesiology pain doctors might make $315,000. The maximum reported salary is $651,000!
Here are a couple pain doctors and their salaries :
- Dr. Desmond Henry, anesthesiology and pain management, pediatrics – $558,250
- Dr. Dhanalakshmi Koyyalagunta, medical director, pain management – $364,400
Keep in mind the difference that there is a difference between doctors who incorporate anesthesiology into their practice and doctor’s that don’t.
To become a pain management doctor, you can go one of two ways:
- Anesthesiology –> Pain Medicine Fellowship
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation –> Pain Medicine Fellowship
Click here for more information about Anesthesiology.
Click here for more information about Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
With over 100 million Americans suffering from chronic pain, the call for Pain Management doctors is still strong. It’s a field of medicine that can truly bring relief to many patients. The salary and lifestyle are also pretty great. If you like doing procedures in an office or practicing integrative medicine, this could be the field for you.
Sources
Salary.com, Physician – Pain Medicine Salary
Allied Physicians, Physician Salary Survey
Texas Tribune, University of Texas Southwestern Anesthesiology and Pain Management
Texas Tribune, Texas MD Cancer Center
Becker’s Spine Review, Pain Management Physician Compensation
In the training paragraph, is the total years of training accurate? I thought you would have to complete 4 years of undergraduate studies majoring in pre-med, go through 4 years of medical school and then a 4 year residency program in a particular field (in this case pain management).
Thank you
hi nick. i’ve listed the years of training required after medical school. anesthesiology and pmr are 4 yr residencies. the pain management fellowship can last 1-2 years.