What is interventional pain management?
Interventional pain management is the discipline of medicine devoted to
the diagnosis and treatment of pain and related disorders with the application
of interventional techniques in managing subacute, chronic, persistent,
and intractable pain, independently or in conjunction with other modalities
of treatments.
What are interventional pain management techniques?
Interventional pain management techniques are minimally invasive procedures
including, percutaneous precision needle placement, with placement
of drugs in targeted areas or ablation of targeted nerves; and some
surgical techniques such as laser or endoscopic diskectomy, intrathecal
infusion pumps and spinal cord simulators, for the diagnosis and management
of chronic, persistent or intractable pain.
Who are doctors specializing in pain management?
Pain specialists come from various primary specialties with advanced
training and expertise. They mainly are anesthesiologists, physical
medical rehabilitation specialists and neurologists. However, they
may include neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons and interventional radiologists.
What is the difference between acute pain and chronic
pain?
Acute pain is pain of a short, limited duration, usually the result
of an injury, surgery or medical illness. Acute pain often goes away
with the healing process.
Chronic pain continues for longer periods of time, sometimes even
long time after the healing of the original injury is expected to have
occurred. Chronic pain is also associated with frustration, depression
and anxiety.
Treatments for acute and chronic pain are often quite different. |