Interventional pain management consists of many methods used to reduce pain and improve your quality of life. These Interventional Pain Management Treatments are used for patients who may have tried other therapies that have not been successful.
What is Interventional Pain Management?
As per the ASIPP (American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians), interventional pain management is a “field of medicine devoted to the treatment and diagnosis of pain-related disorders.”
The goals of Interventional Pain Management Treatments are to relieve, reduce, or manage pain and improve a patient’s overall quality of life via minimally invasive techniques mainly designed to diagnose and treat painful conditions.
Types of Interventional Pain Management Treatments
Here are several common Interventional Pain Management Treatments options available to patients suffering from chronic pain:
Nerve and Medial Branch Blocks
Injections are done to decide if a particular spinal nerve root is the source of pain. Blocks can additionally be used to reduce inflammation and pain.
Spinal Cord Stimulation
This interventional pain management technique treats chronic pain by implementing gentle electrical currents to the source of the pain. Electrical leads are inserted in the spinal column, while a tiny generator is inserted into the buttock or abdomen. The generator releases electrical signals to the spinal column, therefore, blocking the ability of the brain to perceive pain.
Epidural Steroid Injections
This minimally invasive procedure is used to treat neck, arm, back, leg, and shoulder pain resulting from inflammation of spinal nerve roots. Low doses of corticosteroids – a robust and long-term anti-inflammatory medication – are injected into the source of your pain rather than being delivered orally or intravenously.
By injecting the steroids directly, treatment is given precisely into the source of the pain, avoiding many unwanted side effects of long-term steroid use. The procedure takes about five minutes and can be administered under local anesthesia by the best Interventional Pain Management Doctors. The injection effect can last for weeks to months. The second dose of injections can be done at the discretion of your pain management doctor, up to 3 times per year.
Occipital Nerve Blocks
Aimed at treating migraines or other types of headaches, this 30-second Pediatric Interventional Neuroradiology procedure uses a local anesthetic with or without a small dose of corticosteroid that is inserted into the back of the head near the greater and lesser occipital nerves (the nerves that go from the top of the spinal cord up through the scalp).
If you’re suffering from chronic pain and have not been able to find a treatment that provides relief, consider seeing an Interventional Pain Management physician.
We at Asian Hospital have the Best Doctors & Surgeons in India who can help you regain the ability to move pain-free. We are experts in sports medicine, spine, pain management, and Interventional Radiology in India.
