What is interventional pain management?

Interventional pain management uses a variety of non-surgical treatments that target the cause of your pain rather than masking it with medication.

While medicines play an important role, especially with acute pain, they also have drawbacks. First, they hide your pain rather than resolving the cause. If you stop taking the medication, the pain simply flares up. Furthermore, as your body gets used to medications, you have to increase the dose to get the same effect.

Medications can sometimes cause side effects like nausea, depression, constipation, drowsiness, and sexual dysfunction. Most serious of all is the risk of addiction, which is especially high with opioids. Interventional pain management relieves pain and restores mobility without risking the problems that medication can cause.

What conditions can interventional pain management treat?

Interventional pain management can help people with a comprehensive range of issues, including:

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Headaches or migraines
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Myofascial pain 
• Pain after surgery
• Fibromyalgia
• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Arthritis

At Sports, Pain & Regenerative Institute, Dr. Patel helps patients with these conditions and many more.

What treatments are used in interventional pain management?

Interventional pain management involves targeted treatments, typically using real-time image guidande to target treat the source of pain. 

Some of the treatments Dr. Patel uses at Sports, Pain & Regenerative Institute include:

• Trigger point injection
• Major Joint Injection (Shouler/Hip/Knee)
• Bursa Injection
• Epidural steroid injection
• Facet joint injection
• Nerve block
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Neuromodulation

To determine the treatment, Dr. Patel conducts a physical exam and assesses your symptoms. He reviews your medical history and discusses your lifestyle, home and work environment, and any other factors that may be influencing your pain.

You might need to undergo tests like an EMG (electromyogram) and nerve conduction velocity studies or diagnostic imaging procedures, such as X-rays and MRI. Once Dr. Patel identifies the source of your condition, he can develop an interventional pain management treatment plan to relieve your symptoms.

If you have a chronic pain disorder and want to find an effective solution, call Sports, Pain & Regenerative Institute today or book an appointment online.