Effective Interventional Pain Techniques

For the 50 million people in the United States living with chronic pain, the path to relief is often time-consuming and fraught with frustration. Pain is a complex health issue. The causes vary widely, and pain affects each person differently. It can take time to find the right treatment or combination of treatments to achieve adequate relief.

When you're struggling with persistent pain, you need a pain management expert who understands how to best approach and treat your pain. At Pain Management Specialists in Rockville and Frederick, Maryland, Stuart Hough, MD, and Ramani Peruvemba, MD, offer comprehensive interventional pain management. 

The goal of interventional pain management is to relieve your pain and improve your quality of life. This is accomplished through various procedures that interrupt pain signals. Our team offers the latest advances in pain management and is dedicated to helping you get the relief you need. 

The following are some of the interventional pain management techniques we utilize to stop the pain of our patients, so they can get back to enjoying life.

Radiofrequency ablation

With radiofrequency ablation (RFA), your provider uses X-ray guidance to place a needle next to the nerve that’s causing you pain. The needle then delivers controlled heat to the targeted nerve.

The heat temporarily disables the nerve, preventing the nerve from sending pain signals to your brain. The procedure is performed using either local anesthesia or sedation and takes about 20 minutes.

Neuromodulation therapy

Neuromodulation involves delivering electrical stimulation to interrupt pain signals as they travel to the brain. This is done by implanting a device called a neural stimulator along with wires that are attached to the stimulator.

The stimulator is placed in the region of the upper bottocks, and the wires are placed near the targeted nerve tissue. The stimulator sends out electrical pulses, which travel through the wires to the targeted nerve tissue, disrupting the pain signals. Treatment can reduce your perception and experience of pain.

There are several neuromodulation therapy options, including the following:

Spinal cord stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation disrupts pain signals by targeting the spinal cord.

Dorsal root ganglion stimulation 

In dorsal root ganglion stimulation, the implant stimulates the dorsal root ganglion rather than the spinal cord itself. The dorsal root ganglion is a small bundle of nerves located near the spinal cord.

Peripheral nerve stimulation

Peripheral nerve stimulation involves stimulating a nerve outside of the spine. The implant delivers electrical impulses directly to the targeted nerve to disrupt pain signals.

Steroid injections

Corticosteroids are medications that have powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can soothe irritated nerves and alleviate pain. Several types of steroid injections can be used to manage pain, and each of these injections targets different areas of pain in the body. Common types of corticosteroid injections include:

• Epidural steroid injections
• Facet joint injections
• Trigger joint injections
• Sacroiliac joint steroid injections
• Lumbar epidural steroid injections
• Cervical epidural steroid injections

Your Pain Management Specialists provider will determine which kind of injection may be most effective for your pain. The type of injection you receive will depend on the type of pain you're experiencing. 

Steroid injections can provide lasting relief if conservative treatments, such as physical therapy and oral medication, fail to adequately manage your pain.

If you’re dealing with pain, we can help. Our individualized treatment plans can help relieve your symptoms, so you can get back to your life. To get started, book an appointment online or over the phone with Pain Management Specialists today.