Interventional Pain Management

Question 1

What is Interventional Pain Management?

Answer 1

Interventional pain management is a discipline of medicine which tends to diagnose and treat pain – related disorders. It is a multidisciplinary approach in order to provide a full range of different medical treatments for patients suffering from acute and especially chronic pain.

The goal of our interventional pain management physicians is to reduce, relieve or manage your pain, improving this way your quality of life and making you able to perform daily tasks just as you used before. Minimally invasive techniques are specifically designed to correctly diagnose and treat your pain – related disorder.

Living with chronic pain and finding the right treatment is tough. Many different treatment options and medications are recommended or even tried out, sometimes providing no relief at all. However, interventional pain management can help you cope with your pain.

Question 2

Interventional pain management vs pain management

Answer 2

But, what makes the difference between interventional pain management and other pain management treatments? Interventional pain management uses different techniques for treating and relieving pain or to directly indicate at the source of pain such as:

Injections including Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections
Electrical stimulation
Pain pumps
Radiofrequency rhizotomy

Question 3

Injections

Answer 3

Injections, commonly known as nerve blockers are widely used worldwide. Medications like steroids or opioids are injected directly to the painful area, providing immediate relief. In order to get the right benefit from these injections, usually two to three injections are recommended. If the first injection did not provide any relieve at all, you should probably avoid having other injections. Common injections are:

Epidural steroid injections including (Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections, Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injections, Caudal Epidural Steroid Injections)
Facet joint injections
Sacroiliac joint injections
Single nerve root blocks, etc.

Question 4

What is Electrical stimulation?

Answer 4

Electrical stimulation is a type of neuromodulation. A stimulator is implanted together with an electrical lead in order to send electrical impulses directly to the affected part of the body which leads to chronic pain. Electrical stimulation is a treatment option recommended only in cases when other treatment options have failed to provide the necessary relief.

Question 5

Pain pumps

Answer 5

Pain pumps also known as intrathecal pump implants. These pumps tend to provide relief as powerful medications are administrated directly to the source of pain. Pain pumps are mostly used for treating cancer pain, as well as when a neck or back surgery has failed.

A pump is implanted under the skin, which is than programmed to deliver a specific amount of medication needed. Pain pumps need to be refilled every few months. Usually pain pumps are recommended when other treatment options have failed to provide the necessary relief.

Question 6

What is Radiofrequency rhizotomy?

Answer 6

Radiofrequency rhizotomy is a medical technique which involves a use of needle with an electrode at the tip, guided by x-ray. The electrode at the tip of the needle gets heated, temporarily blocking the ability of the nerve the send messages of pain to the brain, providing pain relief. This technique can sometimes provide pain relief for about 6 to 12 months.

Question 7

Common Medical Conditions for Interventional Pain Management

Answer 7

Some of the most commonly treated medical conditions with interventional pain management are:

Chronic headaches like migraine
Neck pain
Lower back pain
Muscle pain
Bone pain, etc.