The qualification "SGSS Pain Specialist" is awarded by the Swiss Association for the Study of Pain (SGSS), and those who hold it are members of this association. They have completed specialist training in the origins and mechanisms of pain as well as in pain treatment, and they are committed to undertaking ongoing training in the field of pain treatment.
Doctors with the qualification SGSS Pain Specialist come from different fields. For example, general internal medicine, anaesthesiology, surgery, neurosurgery, physical medicine, oncology, orthopaedics and rheumatology. Irrespective of their field, pain specialists treat and care for their pain patients holistically in accordance with the latest research findings.
Holders of this non-FMH qualification are specialists in recognising the different origins of pain and the mechanisms behind its development. They understand how pain impacts on the body and the psyche, and use comprehensive treatment concepts in their work. They take care of and treat patients with acute and chronic pain, such as back pain, headache pain, muscle pain or cancer-related pain.
Pain therapy not only includes medical treatment but also many other measures such as local anaesthesia, physical therapy, dietary recommendations, relaxation exercises and psychological counselling on how to deal with pain.