Pain medicine

At Penn Medicine, our pain medicine specialists offer a range of advanced treatments to manage and alleviate various types of pain. Here’s how we approach pain management:

• Cryoanalgesia: This technique involves using extreme cold to target and numb specific nerves, providing relief from chronic pain. Cryoanalgesia is effective for conditions such as neuropathic pain and joint pain.
• Epidural steroid injection: We use epidural steroid injections to reduce inflammation and pain in the spine. This procedure involves injecting steroids into the epidural space around the spinal cord to relieve pain caused by conditions like herniated discs or spinal stenosis.
• Facet injection: Facet joint injections are used to diagnose and treat pain originating from the facet joints in the spine. By injecting medication into these joints, we can reduce inflammation and provide pain relief.
• Greater occipital nerve block: This procedure involves injecting medication near the greater occipital nerve, which can help relieve headaches and migraines that are resistant to other treatments.
• Intra-articular injections: These injections are administered directly into a joint to provide pain relief and reduce inflammation. They are commonly used for conditions like arthritis and joint injuries.
• Needle electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction velocity (NCV): EMG and NCV tests are used to evaluate the function of muscles and nerves. EMG measures electrical activity in muscles, while NCV assesses the speed and strength of nerve signals. These tests help diagnose conditions such as neuropathy or muscle disorders.
• Radiofrequency ablation: This technique uses radiofrequency energy to heat and destroy nerve tissues that are causing pain. It is effective for treating chronic pain conditions such as facet joint pain or neuralgia.
• Spinal cord stimulator: A spinal cord stimulator is a device implanted near the spinal cord that sends electrical impulses to disrupt pain signals before they reach the brain. This treatment is used for patients with chronic pain who do not respond to other therapies.
• Sympathetic block: This procedure involves injecting medication into specific nerves that control the sympathetic nervous system. It is used to manage pain related to conditions such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) or certain vascular conditions.
• Trigger point injection/myoneural block: These injections target specific areas of muscle pain, called trigger points, to provide relief from muscle pain and spasms. This treatment helps to reduce localized pain and improve muscle function.

The Anesthesia Pain Service (APS) provides pain consultation services at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Our care team includes faculty physicians, pain medicine fellows, anesthesiology residents, and nurse practitioners.

APS offers advanced pain care to hospitalized patients, utilizing techniques such as epidural patient-controlled analgesia, intravenous patient-controlled analgesia, and ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia. We also provide interventional pain management for inpatients with cancer-related pain requiring these techniques.

Additionally, APS offers pain consultations for inpatients experiencing poorly controlled chronic pain. In coordination with the admitting physician, we assist in evaluating the pain and developing a treatment plan. Often, this plan includes continued outpatient therapy at the Penn Pain Medicine Center.