PAIN INTERVENTIONS

What is mean when a pain specialist talks about ‘injections’, ‘nerve blockers’, ‘zapping nerves’. Read on to find out how these can help you with your pain.

Pain interventions are presently performed as day cases at these affiliated hospitals:

  • Waverley Private Hospital

  • St Vincent’s Private Hospital Fitzroy

Treatments Offered

  • MEDIAL BRANCH BLOCK

  • FACET JOINT BLOCK

  • SACROILIAC JOINT INJECTION

  • SUPRASCAPULAR NERVE BLOCK

  • GENICULAR NERVE BLOCK

  • GREATER OCCIPITAL NERVE BLOCK

  • LUMBAR SYMPATHETIC BLOCK

  • EPIDURAL INJECTION

  • RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION

  • PULSED RADIOFREQUENCY

  • NEUROMODULATION

  • SPINAL CORD STIMULATION

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you do these procedures in your rooms?

No, as these procedures require anaesthesia and the assistance of x-ray guidance to ensure safe placement of the injection, these are done in hospital and you will go home on the same day.

Do these procedures hurt?

You will be under a light anaesthetic to calm and relax you and the proceduralist will numb the skin with local anaesthetic before needles are placed. Analgesia may be prescribed as part of after-care.

There is very little down-time with these procedures, but you may prefer to take a few days afterwards to rest.

Who will be doing the procedure?

The pain specialist that consulted with you in the rooms will be the one doing the procedure. The specialist is best placed to do so as she is familiar with your medical history and is trained to perform the procedure with the aid of x-ray imaging in theatre.

Are these procedures safe?

These procedures are commonly performed by pain specialists in Australia and around the world and are generally considered safe. Your pain specialist will discuss the risks and benefits of your procedure with you in detail at the time of your consultation. Click on the bold for questions to help guide your discussion.

How long do these procedures take to work?

Depending on your individual pain profile and the kind of intervention you receive, some patients feel relief within days to weeks of the procedure that lasts for many weeks to months. Many of the procedures are both diagnostic as well as therapeutic, which means they provide useful information about what’s causing your pain, while providing relief.

How long does the effect of the injection last?

Depending on the kind of procedure that has been recommended to you, good responders to the treatment may experience several months up to a year of pain relief or more, or may require a series of treatments to obtain and maintain the desired result. We do not recommend these treatments in isolation, and would expect other pain management strategies to be utilised as part of multidisciplinary pain management.

Are you suffering from Chronic Pain?

Melbourne Pain & Anaesthesia offers a variety of pain management interventions for patients across Melbourne. Request an Appointment with Dr Gloria Seah on HealthShare or by using the button below: