Pain management physician John Coccaro, MD, has dedicated his career to caring for and treating patients in pain. His years of training in multiple disciplines have brought him to Precision Pain Management, LLC, in Toms River, New Jersey, where he uses it as the focus of all his experience and knowledge.

Dr. Coccaro came from a working-class family and learned early on through hard work, diligence, and discipline that any dream was within reach and so pursued a medical education abroad at St. Georges University School of Medicine. His Brooklyn roots followed him to the great state of New Jersey where he sought and found that same sense of community. He studied the principles and practice of General Surgery while at Monmouth Medical Center, where he gained unique insights into care and therapy of trauma and neurosurgical patients. At the end of those intensive three years of surgical training, his technical skills had been finely honed.

It was at St Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, a true learning center of excellence, where his passion for anesthesia and interventional pain medicine was fostered and he quickly found those surgical hand skills made him well-suited to become a precision interventionist. As a resident physician, he developed a great interest and appreciation for pediatric regional anesthesia and adult pain medicine and performed thousands of procedures in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic pain using ultrasound and fluoroscopy.

His philosophy on interventional pain management employs a simple and pragmatic approach to control pain. It is direct and precise by isolating and treating one pain source or pain generator at a time. This approach avoids dogmatic thinking such as a “series of three” when it was evident the first of three showed no improvement or promise of relief at all.

Listening to the patient’s problems is the essential beginning of his interaction with a patient and is paramount to his approach.

BIOGRAPHY

My humble beginnings started in Brooklyn…a place with a great sense of neighborhood where you knew who your neighbors were, and city blocks became an integral part of families. The people who lived there were more than “next door” they were people who took care of one another and gave back to the community. They worked for the good of their family and their bodies suffered for it. It was through their suffering I saw my future in medicine and so my decision to become a doctor was more one of fate rather than being born into it.

I came from a working-class family and learned early on through hard work, diligence and discipline any dream was within reach and so pursued a medical education abroad. I was in the best of company as we all shared a common thread…heart…the desire to care for people.

My Brooklyn roots followed me to the great state of New Jersey where I sought and found that same sense of community. I studied the principles and practice of General Surgery while at Monmouth Medical Center where I gained unique insights into care and therapy of Trauma and Neurosurgical patients. At the end of those intensive three years of surgical training my technical skills had been finely honed.
It was at St Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, a true learning center of excellence, where my passion for Anesthesia and Interventional Pain Medicine was fostered and I quickly found those surgical hand skills made me well suited to become a precision interventionist. As a resident physician I developed a great interest and appreciation for Pediatric Regional Anesthesia and Adult Pain Medicine and had performed thousands of procedures in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic pain using ultrasound and fluoroscopy.

I dedicated my career to the care and treatment of the pain patient. My years of training in multiple disciplines have brought me to this path and it will continue to be the focus of all my experience and knowledge.

John Anthony Coccaro MD

A Graduate of St. Georges University School of Medicine Dr. Coccaro has most recently served the Toms River area practicing as a Board-Certified Anesthesiologist at Community Medical Center.

He has established a reputation for superior surgical hand skills during a residency at Monmouth Medical Center prior to training in Anesthesia and Pain Medicine at the St. Barnabus Medical Center. His post residency training led him to minimally invasive procedures for treating various spine related symptoms.
Most of these procedures can be performed in under 45 minutes with patients returning to their normal activities within days.

My Philosophy

My philosophy on Interventional Pain Management employs a simple and pragmatic approach to the control of pain. It is direct and precise by isolating and treating one pain source or pain generator at a time. My approach avoids dogmatic thinking such as a “series of three” when it was evident the first of three showed no improvement or promise of relief at all. Listening to the patient problems is the essential beginnings of my interaction with a patient and is paramount to my approach.

A treatment plan follows only after an extensive and detailed history is obtained, a directed and extensive physical exam is performed and an accurate assessment and review of all imaging including X-rays and MRI with the patient is made.
The consent is then informed and agreed to.

Narcotic play a minor role in my management. Of course, there are instances and conditions where narcotics play a part in pain control. Rather a non-narcotic regimen is used and avoids issues such as tolerance, dependence, addiction, narcotic side effects and complications.

I insist on communicating with and involving your primary care physician to assist in and avoid complicating your medical management of conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. My approach may help you to avoid traditional open back surgery in favor of a minimally or less invasive interventional technique and eliminate protracted hospital stays and long-term complications.