
What Interventional Pain Management Doctors Do

When you think about interventional pain management, you might consider a doctor's entire job is injections, injections, and more injections. However, that is far from the case!
Interventional pain management professionals, such as the doctors at Truwell, use various techniques to improve the lives of their patients without the use of invasive surgery. But no one doctor defines the role of an interventional pain management professional. From physical therapists, anesthesiologists to physiatrists, it takes a team to conquer your pain. While injections are a legitimate method to relieve pain, let's discuss what else doctors have in their arsenal.
Diagnose
The first step, as with any medical field, is diagnosis. With interventional pain management, this is achieved in different ways depending on the patient's pain. The doctor uses a combination of radio frequencies, nerve blocks, and steroid injections to pinpoint the pain. These are used in conjunction with x-rays and ultrasound to guide them. Once we know the source of your pain, we can tackle it with a variety of methods.
Treatment
Interventional pain management specialists have a variety of options at their disposal, depending on the affected area. These treatments include:
- Nerve blocks: An injection at the site of pain to alleviate and numb the nerves involved.
- Discectomy: Removal of a part of a herniated disk to lessen pressure and pain.
- Kyphoplasty: Repairing a fractured vertebra with a special cement to provide long-term back pain relief.
- Radiofrequency Ablation: Application of heat to relieve acute joint pain.
Treatments are applied through various specialists, and each method can heal your pain either in the short-term or long-term. Not every interventional pain management clinic offers the same resources. However, harkening back to the diagnosis stage, a good specialist should at least be able to propose the best course of action for your pain and either apply the method or point you in the right direction to someone who can help. Specialists want the best for you, even if they cannot provide the relief themselves.
Physical Therapy
Even though pain relief from interventional pain management can be quick, some pain can continue to be a problem two to three weeks after a procedure. While you might want to do a thorough physical and neurological examination, this sounds like a job for a physical therapist. A physical therapist works with you on your specific area to exercise or relax the painful area. However, if your pain persists after weeks of therapy, a doctor might need to re-examine you and perform another procedure directly to the affected area.
Finding the Doctors That Work For You
Many methods exist for interventional pain management, but have you found the right team of doctors to alleviate your pain? Start with Truwell Health! Our team is staffed with experienced doctors and specialists to help with any chronic pain. Let's set up an appointment and figure out your pain together! Once we determine the causes of your discomfort, we can apply the most effective treatment you need to provide manageable relief.
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