There are a number of effective interventional pain procedures available that are noninvasive and often times quite effective. Some of these alternative procedures are administered by doctors while others can be administered by licensed practitioners, it’s notable the use of many of these alternatives involves a more holistic approach to medicine.
About Interventional Pain Procedures
The concept behind these procedures is to intervene to eliminate or decrease discomfort to a point that more invasive options like surgery are deemed unnecessary. A lot of times these procedures are implemented pre-surgery in the hopes that surgery can be avoided. Examples of practitioners who provide these types of services would include physicians, acupuncturists and chiropractors.
It’s noteworthy that some interventional procedures are more invasive than others. For instance, epidural shots are a lot more invasive than inserting an acupuncture needle. A chiropractic adjustment is not invasive to the body at all. The responsibility for the well-being of each patient falls on medical professionals to use the least invasive interventional procedure to get the best results.
Types of Common Procedure
To alleviate discomfort issues, practitioners have a wide range of treatment alternatives. After a physician’s diagnosis, it’s incumbent on the patient to seek advice on the best alternatives. Here is a list of common interventional procedures:
- Epidural steroid injections (injections around nerve centers along the spine)
- Spinal cord stimulation (electrical impulses from medical devices around spinal cord area)
- Medial branch blocks (steroid injection directly into facet joint)
- Radiofrequency ablation (radio waves to deliver heat to targeted nerve tissues)
- Medicine (relief medications, opioids and nonopioids)
- Massage Therapy (tissue massage around inflamed area)
- Nerve blocks (injections along side of spinal cord)
- Sacroiliac injections (injection into sacroiliac joint at bottom of spine)
- Chiropractic adjustments (manual pressure applied to spine or joints to realign bones)
As part of a more holistic approach, these procedures will often be used in conjunction with other techniques like physical therapy, focus on nutrition, and mental health therapy.