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Minimally Invasive Procedures for Chronic Pain Management

The impact of chronic pain in people’s lives varies, depending on an individual’s circumstance, but one certain thing is that chronic pain goes beyond the physical; it impacts your emotional and mental health and all your relationships. Obvious causes of chronic pain include long-lasting conditions such as arthritis and cancer or injuries. Fortunately, there are various pain relief procedures Humble that can help manage chronic pain and improve your overall quality of life. Below are examples of common pain management procedures.

Spinal cord stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation can help reduce different types of chronic pain, including post-surgical pain, back pain, angina, complex regional pain syndrome, nerve-related pain, arachnoiditis, and injuries to the spinal cord. It is a surgical procedure involving two steps – the first is a trial period whereby your surgeon implants a temporary device inside your lower back. For about a week, you will evaluate how effectively the device reduces your pain. If you experience a 50% or greater reduction in pain level, you will schedule surgery to implant the device permanently.

Typically, spinal cord stimulation is used along with other pain management treatments to reduce the need for pain medicines and improve your overall life quality.

Nerve blocks

Nerve blocks or neural blockades are often injections of medicines that block the pain from specific nerves. They can be used to manage chronic pain or for a total loss of sensation before a surgical procedure. An epidural is the best-known nerve block that eases the pain of labor and delivery during childbirth. Healthcare providers may administer nerve blocks with local anesthesia after numbing the area where the needles penetrate the skin. Your provider can also deliberately cut or destroy certain nerves during surgery to block pain signals in an area. Like any other treatment, you should discuss with your physician to establish if you are a good candidate and understand the risks and benefits.

Radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation is a procedure that uses heat to destroy a portion of nerve tissue to reduce certain kinds of chronic pain by preventing the transmission of pain signals. It is a preferred treatment for chronic or long-term pain in the neck, lower back, or arthritic joints that have shown no significant improvements with other therapies.

Before radiofrequency ablation, your doctor will review your medical history and ask questions about your pain. You will receive specific instructions on preparing for the procedure; for example, you may need to discontinue aspirin and other blood-thinning medications a few days before radiofrequency ablation. Your doctor will also order imaging tests such as X-rays to see your anatomy, determine the level of arthritis or injury and rule out other possible causes.

The actual procedure might last anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours, depending on the treatment location and the number of treatments performed.

Join injections

A joint injection is a minimally invasive procedure whereby your provider administers anesthetic and corticosteroid directly to your damaged joints. It is not a permanent solution to joint pain but can offer long-term pain relief that may last for some months. You can have joint injections in various joints, including your shoulders, wrists, hips, and knees. Doctors often use X-rays to guide the needle to its designated location to ensure accuracy. The procedure takes about 20 minutes, after which a patient experiences immediate pain relief.

You don’t have to endure disabling pain on a daily. Book an appointment with your provider at Interventional Sports and Pain Management Associates to learn how you can benefit from pain management procedures.