Pain Management And Palliative Care

Compassion, Care And Comfort

Our Pain Management And Palliative Care Department strives to improve a patient’s quality of life and pain control. Interventional techniques are used for evaluating, diagnosing, and treating patients with various types of pain. It includes chronic pain, cancer pain, osteoporosis pain, and vertebral compression fracture pain.

Treatment Options

Conditions Treated by our pain treatment specialists at our Interventional Pain Management Centre include:

Chronic back pain

Persistent pain in the lower, middle, or upper back is often caused by conditions like herniated discs or spinal stenosis.

Osteoarthritis

A degenerative joint disease causing pain and stiffness, commonly affecting the knees, hips, and hands.

Fibromyalgia

A disorder characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness.

Neuropathic Pain

Pain resulting from damaged nerves, often described as burning, shooting, or tingling sensations.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

A chronic pain condition usually affecting limbs, often triggered by trauma or injury.

Migraines

Severe headaches accompanied by light sensitivity, nausea, and visual disturbances.

Cancer Pain

Pain associated with cancer, its treatment, or the progression of the disease.

Postoperative Pain

Pain experienced after surgery managed to facilitate recovery.

Sciatica

Pain radiating along the sciatic nerve, typically originating from the lower back and extending down the leg.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

An autoimmune disorder causing joint pain, swelling, and stiffness.

Degenerative Disc Disease

Pain resulting from the breakdown of intervertebral discs in the spine.

Peripheral Neuropathy

Nerve damage leading to pain, numbness, and weakness, often in the hands and feet.

Osteoporosis-Related Fractures

Pain due to fractures resulting from weakened bones.

Cluster Headaches

Intensely painful headaches occurring in clusters over weeks or months.

Shingles (Herpes Zoster)

Painful rash caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus.

Interstitial cystitis

Chronic bladder condition causing pelvic pain and discomfort.

Endometriosis

Painful disorder where tissue resembling uterine lining grows outside the uterus.

Sickle Cell Disease

Patients experience pain due to blockages in blood vessels.

Chronic pancreatitis

Inflammation of the pancreas leading to persistent abdominal pain.

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Continued pain post-back surgery, often requiring specialised management.

Hernia

Discomfort caused by a bulging organ or tissue through weak spots in muscles.

Osteomyelitis

Painful bone infections are usually caused by bacteria.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Intense facial pain due to irritation of the trigeminal nerve.

Phantom Limb Pain

Pain experienced in a missing limb after amputation.

Spondylolisthesis

Vertebrae slipping out of place, causing lower back pain.

Pancreatic Cancer Pain

Pain associated with cancer growth in the pancreas.

Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Long-term pain affecting the pelvic region, often without a clear cause.

Whiplash Injury

Neck pain resulting from rapid back-and-forth movement of the head, often due to car accidents.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Chronic muscle pain is caused by trigger points.

Spinal Stenosis

Narrowing of the spinal canal causing nerve compression and pain

Procedures

Interventional pain management encompasses various procedures aimed at alleviating chronic pain. Some common blocks performed include:

Epidural Steroid Injection (ESI)

Delivers anti-inflammatory medication into the epidural space to reduce pain and inflammation around spinal nerves.

Facet Joint Injection

Targets facet joints in the spine, often using a mix of anaesthetic and anti-inflammatory medication to relieve pain caused by arthritis or injury.

Medial Branch Block

Involves injecting anesthesia near the medial branch nerves that transmit pain signals from the facet joints.

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

Uses heat generated by radio waves to disable specific nerves and reduce chronic pain, particularly in cases of facet joint pain or sacroiliac joint pain.

Nerve Root Block

Administers anaesthetic and/or steroid near the spinal nerve roots to address pain radiating down the arms or legs.

Sympathetic Nerve Block

Targets sympathetic nerves to manage pain conditions like complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) or vascular conditions.

Trigger Point Injections

It involves injecting medication into tight knots of muscle (trigger points) to relieve pain and improve muscle function.

Peripheral nerve blocks

Focusses on numbing specific nerves outside the spine to manage pain in localised areas, such as the limbs.

Sacroiliac Joint Injection

Aims to alleviate pain arising from inflammation or dysfunction of the sacroiliac joint, often using a combination of anaesthetic and steroid medication.

Discography (Discogram)

It involves injecting dye into spinal discs to identify the source of pain and assess disc damage before considering more invasive treatments.

Neurolytic Blocks

Administers substances like alcohol or phenol to destroy nerves, providing longer-lasting pain relief for certain conditions at our pain relief centre.

Intrathecal Pump Implant

Implants a device that delivers pain medication directly into the spinal fluid, often used for severe, chronic pain cases.

Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty

It involves injecting bone cement into fractured vertebrae to stabilise them and relieve pain caused by vertebral compression fractures.

Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)

Implants electrodes near the spinal cord to deliver mild electrical impulses that mask or interrupt pain signals before they reach the brain.

Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS)

Similar to SCS, but targets peripheral nerves outside the spinal cord.

These interventions are tailored to individual patients and their specific pain conditions. They can offer significant relief and improve the quality of life for those suffering from chronic pain that is unresponsive to other treatments.