PMR doctors doing headache/facial pain fellowships?

[Bhargava Kolli]

Can pmr docs successfully match into neurology based headache/facial pain fellowships? I’m interested in PMR -> Headache/Facial Pain -> Interventional Pain. Would that be too much training?

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[j4pac]

Can pmr docs successfully match into neurology based headache/facial pain fellowships? I’m interested in PMR -> Headache/Facial Pain -> Interventional Pain. Would that be too much training?

I honestly don’t know anyone who went that route. I think it could hold some level of value. It is a ton of training and very likely some opportunity loss regarding income (for an extra year of training). Alternatively, you could do a PMR/Neuro residency that has facial pain exposure (especially botulinum toxin injections) and that to a Pain fellowship with facial pain and neuromodulation experience.

 

[PMRorBUST]

sending you a DM. I know someone who did PM&R and then a headache fellowship. I’m sure you can do a pain fellowship after, especially with number of open spots

 

[Bhargava Kolli]

Thank you so much, this an awesome connect for me!

 

[drg123]

As always, ask yourself what specifically you are hoping to gaine from a headache fellowship AND justify why that year of training (which is a large opportunity cost) is necessary. For example, do you want specific knowledge about diagnosing headaches? Can you not get this through dedicated study and patient engagement in just a pain fellowship? Are you looking for headache procedures? There isn't any procedure the headache trained people do that you won't learn in a pain fellowship. Are you looking for credibility/employment credentials? OK, maybe you can make a case for this. But honeslty, if you're pain doc and you say 'I also care about and want to treat headache/facial pain', the patients will show up. So just think really hard about why more specific training.

 

[j4pac]

As always, ask yourself what specifically you are hoping to gaine from a headache fellowship AND justify why that year of training (which is a large opportunity cost) is necessary. For example, do you want specific knowledge about diagnosing headaches? Can you not get this through dedicated study and patient engagement in just a pain fellowship? Are you looking for headache procedures? There isn't any procedure the headache trained people do that you won't learn in a pain fellowship. Are you looking for credibility/employment credentials? OK, maybe you can make a case for this. But honeslty, if you're pain doc and you say 'I also care about and want to treat headache/facial pain', the patients will show up. So just think really hard about why more specific training.

I perform all of the facial indications of Botulinum toxin without a pain or HA fellowship. The bar isn’t set particularly high for credentialing. I don’t perform facial nerve blocks…and leave that to Pain. I’m guessing that there is very little you couldn’t accomplish procedurally with the right PM&R and Pain training. But certainly, I think you likely gain something academically so if one wanted to do something that specific, desired a niche academic practice, and don’t mind losing >$150,000…then why not. But at that cost investment I don’t know why one wouldn’t just pursue Plastic Surgery.

 

[Iamnew2]

Can pmr docs successfully match into neurology based headache/facial pain fellowships? I’m interested in PMR -> Headache/Facial Pain -> Interventional Pain. Would that be too much training

Can pmr docs successfully match into neurology based headache/facial pain fellowships? I’m interested in PMR -> Headache/Facial Pain -> Interventional Pain. Would that be too much training?

There aren't that many facial procedures for pain, and headaches well it's not that hard to learn from a regular pain fellowship and/or some additional CME training/courses.
So I'd go do a broad pain fellowship with some focus/rotations on someone who does facial pain.