Interventional pain management is a medical specialty devoted to relieving pain that persists despite conventional treatment.

Interventional specialists do not prescribe a medication that goes through your bloodstream and might, or in many cases, might not, relieve your pain. Instead, they use diagnostic techniques to pinpoint the cause of your pain, then administer an interventional treatment that precisely targets the nerves responsible for that pain.

As an interventional specialist, Dr. Slavin built his practice dedicated to the control of pain. He uses evidence-guided treatment to relieve or manage your pain, helping you quickly recover and get back to your everyday activities.

Dr. Slavin uses numerous advanced treatments, and these are a few examples of interventional techniques:

EPIDURAL STEROID INJECTIONS

When steroids are injected in the epidural area surrounding the nerves, they significantly reduce inflammation and relieve pain caused by conditions such as sciatica, spinal stenosis, and disc degeneration.

Epidural steroid injections often contain a local anesthetic that delivers immediate pain relief. Steroids take a little longer to reduce inflammation and alleviate your pain, but they last longer.

NERVE BLOCKS

A nerve block is similar to an epidural injection, but it targets a specific nerve root. Dr. Slavin may also perform a nerve block to determine exactly which nerve is responsible for your pain.

FACET JOINT INJECTIONS

Facet joints connect the vertebrae in your spine. These joints can degenerate or develop arthritis just like any other joint in your body, causing inflammation and pain.

You’ll gain significant pain relief when Dr. Slavin injects steroids and a local anesthetic directly into the membrane surrounding the targeted joint.

TRIGGER POINT INJECTIONS

A trigger point is a painful knot that develops in muscles or the connective tissues surrounding muscles. After Dr. Slavin isolates the knot, he injects medications directly into the area, making the muscle relax.

Although injections are a key treatment in interventional pain management, they’re not the only effective tool. Here are two other examples of treatments offered by Dr. Slavin:

SPINAL CORD STIMULATOR

The spinal cord stimulator is a cutting-edge device that uses a mild electric current to block or mask nerve signals. As a result, your brain doesn’t get the message, and you don’t feel pain.

RADIOFREQUENCY NEUROTOMY

Dr. Slavin uses heat from radio waves to disrupt nerves carrying pain messages to your brain, creating a more permanent type of nerve block.

If you suffer from ongoing pain, call Rio Grande Pain Team or book an appointment online.