Common Minimally Invasive Pain Management Techniques

The road to pain relief shouldn’t be a bumpy one that causes more pain and potentially leads to complications. Thanks to new technologies and a better understanding of pain, there are many minimally invasive pain management techniques that offer effective and long-lasting solutions.

At Comprehensive Pain Management, Drs. Do Chan and Boris Shwartzman pride themselves on staying abreast of the latest advancements in pain management, including innovative techniques that accomplish everything from blocking pain messaging to relieving pressure on compromised nerves.

Here’s a look at some of the more common minimally invasive techniques we use to bring relief to our patients.

Spinal cord stimulation

If you suffer from failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, or nerve damage along your spine, leaving you to struggle with treatment-resistant pain, a spinal cord stimulator may be a great solution.

The spinal cord stimulator emits low-voltage electrical currents that disrupt the pain signaling between your nerves and your brain. To implant the stimulator, we make only small incisions through which we place the electrodes and the battery pack.

Intracept®

If you suffer from lower back pain, you may want to explore the Intracept procedure, which we’re pleased to offer at our practice. Intracept is an FDA-cleared intraosseous nerve ablation platform in which we access and ablate your basivertebral nerve.

We perform the procedure using only local anesthesia, and you’re free to return home afterward. 

Radiofrequency ablation

Another great minimally invasive technique for back pain is radiofrequency ablation. Here again, we need to use only local anesthesia to guide a needle into the area where your nerves are compromised. Once in place, we release an electrical current that’s produced by radiowaves. This energy destroys the nerve endings responsible for sending out the pain signals.

Kyphoplasty

If compression fractures are causing you pain, we offer a kyphoplasty, which is a great solution for restoring structure to your affected vertebra. During the procedure, we inject a cement-like substance to restore strength and height to your damaged vertebra. We perform a kyphoplasty procedure on an outpatient basis using only local anesthesia for your comfort.

Disc-FXⓇ

If the discs along your spine are the source of your chronic pain, we offer the Disc-FX procedure in which we use only minimally invasive techniques to access and repair a herniated disc. First, we create more space for your disc, and then we destroy and remove any damaged tissue using radiowave energy and disc irrigation. We’re also able to seal any tears in the outer layer of your disc.

mildⓇ procedure

If lumbar stenosis is behind your back pain, we can turn to the mild procedure to restore pain-free mobility by creating more space within your spinal canal to relieve the pressure on your compressed nerves.

After your mild procedure, which we perform at our practice using only local anesthesia, if necessary, you’re free to return home.

Microdiscectomy

If you’re experiencing problems with one of the discs in your lower spine, we can turn to a lumbar microendoscopic discectomy. During this minimally invasive procedure, we remove the damaged portion of your disc, as well as any loose fragments, using only small incisions and specialized tools.

If you’d like to explore these minimally invasive and pain-relieving procedures further, please contact one of our locations in Attleboro or Franklin, Massachusetts, and South Kingstown or Warwick, Rhode Island.