63: Interventional Pain Management

This edition has been funded by Pfizer.Physiotherapy, exercise, medications and clinical psychology all play an important role in pain management, but what happens if these treatments don’t give people the relief they need to get their lives back on track? For some patients, more invasive treatments can make a big difference, but there are often difficult decisions to be faced, as Paul Evans discovers from sitting in on one of specialist in interventional pain management Dr Ron Cooper’s clinics in Causeway Hospital, Coleraine.We hear from patients who have often waited years before being referred to the clinic where they will be considered for interventional treatments such as spinal cord stimulation, nerve-blocking injections and radio frequency treatment. Dr Cooper explains why interventional treatments are more appropriate for some patients than for others, how they are thought to work and why it’s important to see them as part of a broader pain management strategy.Contributors:Dr Ron Cooper, Consultant in Anaesthesia & Pain Relief, Causeway Hospital, Coleraine.#Backpain #Complexregionalpainsyndrome #Lowbackpain #Neuropathicpain #Postsurgicalpain #Trigeminalneuralgia #Exercise #Painmanagementprogrammes #Spinalcordstimulation #Surgery