Interventional pain medicine
Interventional measures are a special field of pain therapy carried out by anaesthesiologists, orthopaedic specialists and neurosurgeons once they have completed the necessary training. An intervention is the selective numbing or treatment of a specific structure (joint, nerve root, etc.) that is determined in advance using imaging procedures such as X-ray or ultrasound.
Interventional pain management treatment offer
The range of interventional therapies on offer at the Centre for Pain Medicine comprises all common and established measures. Targeted elective blocks are used, for example, to confirm a suspected clinical diagnosis. In addition, the validity of radiological findings can be assessed in terms of pain development.
From a therapeutic perspective, an interventional (often temporary) reduction in pain can improve attention and the ability to concentrate, which in turn can have a positive impact on the success of, for example, psychotherapy. Specific blocks can also free patients from their fear of moving, which makes physiotherapy more effective. These blocks may be controlled by X-ray or ultrasound.
Intervention at the Centre for Pain Medicine
Our treatments
Nerve root blocks
When nerves are irritated (e.g. by a slipped disk or wear and tear to the spine) radiating pain can emerge in the arms or legs (e.g. sciatica in the legs). Targeted injections (diagnostic blocks) around these nerves can temporarily alleviate the pain, and thus confirm the suspicion that a dysfunction is present in the particular area. Pain can be alleviated for longer periods of time via the use of further cortisone blocks or special electrified needles. This measure is known as a diagnostic block.
Depending on the findings, longer-lasting pain relief may be achieved, for example, through further infiltration with cortisone or an electric application.
Intervertebral joint injections (facet blocks)
Wear and tear on the small intervertebral joints of the spine is one of the most frequent causes of back pain. Facet blocks involve the use of x-ray-guided needles which selectively search for the small nerves attached to these joints. Once these nerves are found, the needles numb them with a local anaesthetic. Other therapeutic techniques for providing long-lasting pain relief include the use of electrotherapy or a cortisone injection into the joint.
Epidural anaesthesia
Epidural anaesthesia is a regional anaesthesia administered near the spinal cord which can temporarily block (pain) sensation in the lower half of the body. This anaesthesia is used for pain therapy, e.g. during the constriction of the spinal canal or of the exit holes of nerve roots. During this anaesthesia, an injection combining cortisone and a local anaesthetic is used to gradually reduce the patient’s pain. A special kind of epidural anaesthesia involves infiltration via the sacral canal, during which the injection is made into the lowest opening of the sacral canal just above the tail bone.
More injection procedures
Depending on the clinical situation, interventions in joints, muscles or individual nerves may be indicated.
Infusion therapy
For certain, in particular generalised, states of pain, infusion therapy with lidocaine and/or ketamine may be indicated. After an appropriate assessment, treatment is carried out by our nursing team.
