Interventional Pain Management
Interventional medicine emphasizes the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sports-related injuries and conditions. It's designed to treat pain at the source and improve a patient's overall quality of life. Dr. Stilwell is an expert in nerve, muscle, and bone health who specializes in conditions affecting how you move. Interventional pain management methods include radiofrequency ablation, nerve blocks, spinal and nerve stimulation and trigger point injections.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Is an interventional pain management method used to manipulate and reduce pain signals in the body. An electrical current produced by a radio wave is used to heat up a small area of nerve tissue, thereby decreasing pain signals from that specific area. As you age, your joints break down, your cartilage wears thin, and the fluids that lubricate your joints decrease, thus causing pain. Destroying the nerves to those sites alleviates the pain associated with aging.
Nerve Blocks
Are minimally invasive injections for pain in the arm or leg that follows the path of a single nerve. Doctors use nerve root blocks to help relieve pain and determine its source. This method of interventional pain management is particularly helpful — it may even assist physicians in determining whether the patient is a good candidate for corrective surgery.
Spinal and Nerve Stimulation
Directs mild electrical pulses to inhibit pain messages reaching the brain. A small device is implanted near the nerve or spine which generates these pulses, blocking the pain altogether.
Trigger Point Injections
Are injections of local anesthetic into painful muscles to stop them from spasming. This can be done with a variety of medications to ease pain throughout the body and maximize the effectiveness of this interventional pain management method.
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