Chronic pain negatively impacts mental health, mobility, and overall quality of life. Medication and surgery are two treatment options, each with its own unique advantages. Interventional pain management is a minimally invasive option that targets the problem area and provides fast relief. Here is what you need to know about interventional pain management:
Conditions Treated
Medical professionals use interventional pain management to treat various conditions that may not respond to conventional methods. These conditions can originate from nerves, joints, and the spine. Issues with these areas in the body lead to chronic pain and a lack of mobility. Nerves become damaged or compressed because of injury or inflammation. These nerve issues may result in conditions like neuropathy and sciatica.
Joint conditions that cause pain might include sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction and facet joint syndrome. These conditions could cause stiffness in the joints and lead to chronic pain. Common spinal conditions, such as degenerative disc disease and herniated discs, can cause pain in different regions of the spine. The pain might also radiate further down the body toward the arms and legs, decreasing mobility in the affected areas.
Diagnostic Approaches
An accurate diagnosis is necessary for effective interventional pain management. Our team will work with you to determine your medical history and perform a physical examination. Specialists will use advanced imaging technology, such as MRIs and X-rays, to determine the cause of your pain. A comprehensive understanding of your pain allows the doctor to develop and implement a relevant treatment plan.
Innovative Treatment Options
Interventional treatment options include epidural steroid injections, radiofrequency ablation, and peripheral nerve stimulation. Medical providers use epidural steroid injections for spinal pain because they reduce painful inflammation in the affected area. Radiofrequency ablation uses localized heat to decrease pain transmission between nerves and provide long-term pain relief.
Peripheral nerve stimulation works by interfering with pain signals that travel to the brain. Small electrodes are implanted around the affected area. The electrodes then deliver small electrical pulses that prevent pain signals from reaching the brain. This treatment option requires a trial phase to judge its efficacy before proceeding with a permanent stimulator.
Benefits of Interventional Pain Management
Managing pain comes with a range of benefits compared to other modalities of treatment, such as medication or surgery. Taking pain medication could lead to a risk of developing dependence, and the pain relief is not localized. Surgery is generally invasive and comes with risks of infection and other issues. The use of interventional treatments allows for quick, localized pain relief. They eliminate the risk of infection, and recovery time is shorter than surgical treatments. These treatment options reduce pain and increase mobility, increasing your quality of life.
Contact Us for Pain Management Solutions
Chronic pain can diminish your quality of life, but interventional pain management treatments like peripheral nerve stimulation and epidural steroid injections can help. They work by reducing inflammation and interfering with pain signals. These treatments are sources of minimally invasive, localized, long-term pain relief solutions. To learn about what interventional treatment options are available to you, contact St. Louis Pain Consultants.
If you are living with chronic pain, seek help from St. Louis Pain Consultants.
We want to help remind you what life without pain feels like.
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