An important task for a prospective patient is to carefully research the credentials of the treating physician. Whether your "back and spine doctor" is Board Certified in a specialty or sub-specialty related to your complain (such as Pain Medicine, Neurology, Neurosurgery, others) and whether the certifying board is accredited by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).

Pain Medicine is considered a sub-specialty. A sub-specialist in this discipline is a medical doctor who treats pain caused by any disease, or trauma. Becoming a sub-specialist is a two step process. Medical Doctors (MDs) must first become certified as "Specialists" in a major discipline related to Pain Medicine such as Neurology, Anesthesiology or Physical Medicine. To be certified first as a Specialist, most States in the USA require that the certifying board be accredited by the ABMS. Prior to qualifying for Board Certification, the physician must complete several requirements. These include: 1. Completion of a course of study leading to the M.D. or D.O. degree from a recognized School of Medicine. 2. After Medical School graduation, completion of three to seven additional years of full-time training in an accredited residency program designed to train specialists. 3. Sitting for Specialty boards examinations which require assessments of individual performance and competence. 4. Specialty boards require that the persons who seek certification hold an unrestricted license to practice medicine and no ethics violations. 5. Finally, each candidate for certification must pass a one to two day long written examination given by the specialty board. Fifteen of the 24 specialty boards (like Neurology) also require a second oral examination after passing the written exam, conducted by senior specialists in that field. Candidates who have passed the exams and other requirements are then given the status of Board Certified as specialists. After attaining specialist status, a similar process must be followed to become sub-specialists. Pain sub-specialists undergo all of the above mentioned training.

Thus, it is important for the lay public to know, that some health care providers may call themselves "back pain specialists" or "back pain doctors" based on practice interests or preferences, however, their credentials or training may fall short of those required by recognized accrediting agencies in the United States. To protect the public, the State of Texas for example, prohibits health care providers to call themselves specialists or sub-specialists if they have not attained certification by the corresponding ABMS accredited medical board (for more detail information visit the website for the State of Texas Medical Board: http://www.tmb.state.tx.us/).

Please research the credentials of your health care provider carefully. It is an important added layer of protection for you.