Physician Spotlight on Dr. Chris Cary

Tell us a little bit about your background and how you got interested in pain medicine.

My interest in pain medicine grew out of years of experience in the emergency room, where I often treated patients suffering from various types of pain. I found great satisfaction in alleviating that pain, in some instances, even surpassing the profound experience of saving a life.

I see that you completed a residency in emergency medicine prior to your fellowship in interventional pain. How has your emergency medicine background shaped your approach to pain management?

Emergency medicine has honed a sense of focus and directness in many aspects of my life, including my practice of pain medicine. Beyond being decisive, it has taught me the value of educating patients about their condition, what we plan to do about it, and most importantly … how and why.

What types of procedures or treatments are you most passionate about?

I personally find vertebral augmentation (to repair spinal compression fractures) and radiofrequency ablations for back pain to be particularly rewarding due to their excellent success rate in providing long term pain relief.

What is your practice philosophy?

The patient is in charge. I’m here to give advice and options. To put it succinctly: Figure out what’s causing the pain. Ensure that the patient understands the medical basics. Explain why I think a particular plan might help with that pain. Let the patient decide.

Pain medicine continues to evolve with new techniques and technologies. How do you stay current in your field?

I am a member of numerous medical communities, some of which I engage with on a near daily basis. There is constant discussion not only of new techniques and therapies to treat patients, but also of ways to further refine techniques for procedures that I’ve done hundreds of times.

Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Spending time with my family, skiing, playing chess.