Interventional Procedures

When you're in constant or severe pain and nothing seems to help, advanced interventional procedures might be the answer. Zeeshan Tayeb, MD, and his team at Pain Specialists of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, are experts in performing a wide range of treatments, from ultrasound-guided epidural steroid injections and nerve blocks to radiofrequency ablation and spinal cord stimulation. To find the answer for your treatment-resistant pain, call Pain Specialists of Cincinnati and schedule a consultation or book an appointment online today.

What are interventional procedures?

Interventional procedures are treatments that might be necessary when patients aren't responding to frontline approaches such as physical therapy, medication, and other noninvasive options.

The experts at Pain Specialists of Cincinnati offer a variety of both diagnostic and therapeutic interventional techniques, including injections, minimally invasive procedures like radiofrequency ablation, and implantable devices such as spinal cord stimulators and intrathecal pain pumps.

What are injectable interventional procedures?

There are two types of injectable interventional procedures. With diagnostic injections, your provider can deaden selected nerves until they find the one that's causing your symptoms (the pain generator). 

You're awake during these procedures, so you can tell your provider if the pain gets better, goes away completely, or remains unaffected.

Therapeutic injections are like diagnostic injections, but once your provider identifies the painful nerve, they treat it with steroid medication or apply radiofrequency energy for long-term relief.

Examples of injectable interventional procedures include:

• Sacroiliac joint injections
• Facet joint injections
• Epidural steroid injections
• Caudal epidural steroid injections
• Trigger point injections
• Sympathetic nerve blocks
• Stellate ganglion blocks
• Genicular nerve blocks
• Medial branch blocks
• Viscosupplementation
• Medical Botox®
• Occipital nerve blocks
• Sphenopalatine ganglion blocks

To perform injectable interventional procedures, the Pain Specialists of Cincinnati team uses state-of-the-art ultrasound or fluoroscopy technology to view the placement of the needle.

What other interventional procedures might I need?

Examples of other interventional procedures that might be of benefit include:

Radiofrequency ablation

After you've undergone diagnostic nerve blocks, your provider can use high-frequency radio waves to heat the pain-generating nerve. This deactivates the pain sensor on the nerve and could provide up to 18 months of pain relief. 

Radiofrequency ablation is suitable for treating many nerves throughout your body.

PENS therapy

Percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) therapy uses a low-voltage electrical current and tiny acupuncture-like needle probes to stimulate the peripheral sensory nerves.

Neuromodulation

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) could help with chronic spine, leg, or arm pain. It involves the implantation of a generator with wires attached to your spine that delivers electrical pulses to the nerves causing your pain. 

Before full implantation, you undergo a trial procedure to make sure the treatment works for you.

Intrathecal pain pump

A pain pump delivers medication into your spinal cord area via a small tube (catheter). The pump provides medication constantly, so you avoid breakthrough pain and the potential side effects of oral medication.

When you find the right solution to your pain condition, you should experience a significant reduction in pain and stiffness along with improved physical function that could help you return to a more active life.

To find out more about the interventional procedures available at Pain Specialists of Cincinnati and how they could help you, call the office today or book an appointment online.