The pain usually indicates that the normal functioning of the body has been disrupted. Therefore the body needs treatment. Treatment may begin with medications, but with chronic pain, even therapy alone cannot offer relief. Dr. Clement Yeh of Republic Spine and Pain proudly offers interventional pain management as an option for chronic pain. He applies different minimally invasive procedures to help eliminate pain, improving quality of life. Interventional pain management usually works effectively where all standard treatments may have failed to offer needed relief. Here are options for interventional pain management treatment.
Trigger Point Injections
Your doctor may recommend this treatment to address painful muscle areas containing trigger points. During treatment, your doctor will use a small needle to inject local anesthesia into the trigger point, which becomes inactive, making your pain go away. Trigger point injections can address arm, neck, and lower back pain. Your doctor may also give you nerve blocks that block signals from your nerves to the muscles. You will need multiple injections at a certain interval to eliminate pain. After an injection, you will find relief that may last for a while before requiring another injection session.
Spinal Cord Stimulation
Treatment with a spinal cord stimulator involves transmitting low-frequency electrical signals to the spinal cord and specific nerves to reach pain signals to the brain. During this procedure, your doctor will surgically implant a device to transmit electrical signals to your body. The device has a remote that you can turn on and off while adjusting signal intensity. You may feel a pleasant tingling sensation with the device.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Treatment involves using radio waves that heat to destroy the nerve area to stop it from sending pain signals to the brain. Radiofrequency ablation aims to stop and reduce pain, improve function, delay surgery and reduce the number of pain medications. The treatment can address cancer pain, chronic pain from arthritis, peripheral nerve pain, and pain in the back, knees, and neck. You can go for radiofrequency ablation if you have experienced pain relief after a nerve block injection and chronic pain failing to respond to other treatments.
Intrathecal Pain Pump
Your doctor can recommend this pump which releases the medication in small doses to your spinal cord area if you have unmanageable pain. Your doctor will make a pocket under your skin to hold the medicine pump and insert a catheter carrying pain medications. You will experience significant pain relief with only a small dose compared to pills.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
Commonly known as TENS, this treatment uses electrical current in low voltage to stimulate electrical impulses that eliminate pain. Your doctor will place electrodes on your skin near your pain and deliver electricity to stimulate nerves and distort normal pain signals. You can benefit from TENS if you have diabetic neuropathy.
Interventional pain management focuses on a different approach to treating pain without invading the body as much as possible. Treatment usually includes minimally invasive procedures that involve electrical stimulation, radiofrequency waves, and nerve-blocking injections to eliminate pain. The approach can address various causes of pain like cancer, joint pains like arthritis, and lower back pains. You can explore the different existing options to eliminate pain and offer relief.