Group Philosophy

Bay Area Pain Medical Associates is a medical group focussed upon the treatment of people with intractable pain. Our goal is to help our patients reduce their pain to manageable levels through strategies that take into account the complexities of their conditions. We work from the underlying physical cause of our patient's pain, the psychological effects of chronic pain and the social adjustments precipitated by the pain. By evaluating each person's case carefully we attempt to arrive upon the optimal treatment plan for helping our patients increase their function, improve the quality of their lives and effectively plan for the future. We employ the most up to date and efficacious advances in medicine and combine this with a psychologically sound approach to recovery of the richness of life. Establishing acceptable pain control is our primary treatment objective.

Bay Area Pain Medical Associates is the natural evolution of a medical practice that was started in 1981. We have changed with the shifts that have occurred in the practice of pain medicine. When we started in this field of work, most patients were treated for their underlying condition and ultimately taught that they had to live with their pain. Focus was placed off of the pain and upon function. Over the years the treatment of painful conditions has become a recognized field of medical care. Although the underlying condition is still important to diagnose and treat, reduction of the residual pain has taken a more prominent place as a goal of treatment. Part of our own growth as a group has been to recognize that while acceptance of pain is an important treatment goal, there is much that can be done to lower this pain level to a more manageable place in an individual's life. The highest possible level of function remains an important goal, but not as something removed from treatment of pain.