How Does Interventional Pain Medicine Work?
Over time, the methods we use to treat pain have become more diversified and effective. Interventional pain management aims to help you regain your ability to complete your daily tasks and go to work. It can be used either to regenerate the injured tissue and resolve the problem or to simply reduce your pain so that you can complete your physiotherapy appointments without having to worry about how painful they are.
Interventional pain management is almost always minimally invasive, so there is no general anesthesia involved, even when surgery is completed. You will most likely be at your doctor’s office for only a few hours, and you don’t have to spend many weeks or months resting at home after your appointment. In fact, most of the methods listed below allow you to return to your normal routine within a day or two.
Which Types of Treatments Are Offered in Tampa, FL?
There are many different methods of interventional pain management, so you’ll be able to find a solution no matter what type of chronic pain you’re facing. Some of the conditions we treat are back issues like herniated discs or spinal stenosis, neck pain, knee pain, fibromyalgia, pain due to cancer treatment, whiplash, migraines, and Lyme disease. If you feel pain regularly and traditional methods haven’t worked, you should speak to us about getting treated.
MSC and PRP
Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Platelet-Rich Plasma are substances that occur naturally in the body. When you get injured, they help you to recover by stimulating the production of new, healthy cells. In medicine, we can use this to our advantage by injecting or applying these substances to the area where you feel pain. They will then act in the same way and regenerate your tissues, so your pain starts to disappear after a few weeks.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Another innovative type of treatment is radiofrequency ablation, which makes use of radiofrequency waves to heat up your nerves. They will then be impaired so they can no longer transmit the pain signal to the brain. Around 1 to 3 weeks after your session, you will start to notice that your pain disappears. This effect can continue for 6 to 12 months or even longer, depending on the area that has been treated.
Epidural Injections
Your spinal cord is surrounded by a liquid called the epidural fluid. When we inject a steroid into this area, it can help to inhibit the release of chemicals from your discs, stop your body from producing pain mediators that cause inflammation, and reduce spontaneous signals of pain.
The effect of such an injection can last for around 3 months, and the process is minimally invasive, which means you will be conscious throughout the treatment and you can go home immediately after your treatment. Many different issues, such as degenerative disc disease, sciatica, and failed back surgery can be addressed in this way.
Kyphoplasty
This treatment is specific to stress fractures; generally ones that are caused by osteoporosis. To regenerate the bone that has collapsed and prevent postural problems, your doctor will make space in it and then fill this space with a solid mixture. Unlike many other types of surgeries, Kyphoplasty is performed through a small puncture in your skin, so you don’t have to undergo general anesthesia or stay overnight at the hospital.
Trigger Point Injections
Most of the time, muscle knots can be released through massage or other non-invasive treatments. However, some knots get so tight and painful that they are extremely hard to address. In such a case, the patient could benefit from saline or corticosteroid injections into the muscle, which then act to relieve the pain and resolve the muscle tightness. People suffering from fibromyalgia often find this treatment particularly beneficial.
Peripheral Nerve Block
The peripheral nerve block acts like a local anesthesia. An anesthetic is injected into a specific area of the body to block the pain signals that the local nerve bundle is sending out. This is a short-term intervention that may not last longer than a few hours, but some types of nerve blocks can reduce the irritation for longer and therefore allow you to complete your normal daily tasks and go to work while the nerve heals.
Facet Joint Injections
Aside from the discs, your spine also contains facet joints that can get injured and painful. The symptoms of facet joint pain are dull and localized pain, referred pain down the legs, tenderness, and changed posture or activity. To resolve such an issue, we can inject small doses of anesthetic and steroids into the affected area, therefore blocking the nerve signals and allowing you to complete your physiotherapy without being in constant pain.
Spinal Cord Stimulation
Spinal cord stimulation is a type of interventional pain medicine that involves electrical stimulation to your back, which can mask the pain signals and prevent them from reaching your brain. To achieve this, your doctor in Tampa, FL will place electrodes over the affected area and deliver electric pulses.
You might feel nothing at all or a tingling feeling that replaces the pain. Some devices are also inserted into the body, so the effect of the stimulation is more durable and long-lasting.
Back Braces
Spinal curvature, also called scoliosis, is present in most people in a mild form, but if it gets severe, it can cause significant pain and disruption to a person’s posture. There is a back brace available that can be used to address this issue and correct scoliosis over time.
If you’ve been injured and are looking to support your back while you heal, there is another type of brace that can make sure your back and core muscles stay stable. This is used when treating conditions like sciatica, degenerated discs, or herniated discs.
Am I a Good Candidate?
Interventional pain medicine involves solving chronic pain in a minimally invasive way, and there are many different options that can help people suffering from a wide variety of conditions. When you first visit us, we will tell you more about the solutions that could fit your needs, and together, you can make a decision about what would be best for you.
Get in touch with us at B3 Medical in Tampa, FL to book your initial appointment and speak to one of our specialists. With our diverse range of treatments and in-house physical therapy and massage therapy options, we can help you to get rid of your pain for the long term.
