A New Era in Pain Management

When I first started my medical career over three decades ago, managing pain often meant turning to medications—especially opioids. At the time, they were considered the gold standard. For many years, it was standard practice to prescribe them for everything from post-surgical pain to chronic back problems. We believed we were doing the right thing. We wanted to help people. We wanted to stop the suffering.

But the reality turned out to be much more complicated. Over time, it became clear that while opioids can help in certain short-term situations, they were not the long-term solution we had hoped for. Patients became dependent. Tolerances built up. In some cases, lives were lost. The opioid crisis taught us a painful lesson: pain relief can never be one-size-fits-all.

Today, we’re in the middle of a powerful and necessary shift in how we think about pain. We’re not just trying to mask it anymore—we’re working to understand it, to treat its root causes, and to do so without putting people at further risk. This is where interventional pain management comes in, and it’s where I’ve focused much of my professional life.

Understanding Pain Beyond the Prescription

Pain is complex. It’s not just a symptom—it’s a signal, and often, a story. Acute pain comes on suddenly, usually after an injury or surgery, and usually heals with time. Chronic pain, however, lingers. It can stem from arthritis, nerve damage, spinal issues, or no clear source at all. It affects how people move, sleep, work, and even think.

The traditional medical model often relied on writing a prescription and sending patients on their way. But pain is rarely that simple. Real treatment requires looking deeper. What structures in the body are causing the discomfort? How is the nervous system involved? Is inflammation playing a role? Are there psychological factors contributing to the experience of pain?

That’s why interventional techniques have become so important. They allow us to move beyond simply treating the symptoms and instead go after the actual source of the problem.

What Interventional Pain Management Looks Like

Interventional pain management involves using minimally invasive procedures to diagnose and treat pain. It’s not surgery. It doesn’t require long recovery times. But it can offer real, lasting relief when done properly and tailored to the patient.

In my practice, I use procedures like epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, and spinal cord stimulation. Each of these tools is designed to interrupt the pain signals traveling from the body to the brain. When those signals are blocked or reduced, patients often experience dramatic improvements—not just physically, but emotionally as well.

What’s even more powerful is when these techniques are part of a larger, more holistic plan. That means working with physical therapists, psychologists, and primary care providers to help patients regain control of their lives. It’s not just about pain going away—it’s about people getting their function back, their relationships back, their independence back.

Moving Away from the Quick Fix

We live in a culture that expects quick fixes. A pill to numb the pain. A shot to erase discomfort. But when it comes to chronic pain, that approach often fails. The truth is, real healing takes time, effort, and the right tools.

One of the challenges I see is that many patients come to me after years of trying different medications without much success. They’re tired, frustrated, and often feel like no one truly understands what they’re going through. When I introduce them to interventional options, there’s often a sense of hope—hope that they don’t have to rely on pills anymore, and that someone is finally looking at the whole picture.

It’s also important to note that interventional pain management isn’t about “getting rid” of opioids entirely. There are cases, especially in palliative care or after major trauma, where they play a role. But our goal is to use them wisely, for the right reasons, and only when truly needed. In most cases, there are far better—and safer—alternatives available.

Stories That Keep Me Going

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of helping thousands of patients manage their pain without having to rely on medications. I remember one patient in particular—a retired teacher who had lived with sciatica for nearly a decade. She’d been on and off opioids, always worried about the side effects, and had stopped doing the things she loved. After a few targeted injections and a spinal nerve block, she called me and said, “For the first time in years, I went for a walk without fear.”

That’s what this work is about. It’s about restoring quality of life. Giving people the freedom to live without being chained to a pill bottle or limited by their pain.

The Future Is Personal

As we move forward in medicine, I believe the future of pain management lies in personalization. Not every patient needs the same treatment, and there is no magic bullet. What we need is a thoughtful, patient-centered approach that respects both the science and the story behind each person’s pain.

Interventional techniques are part of that future. They offer targeted, evidence-based solutions that can be life-changing when applied with care, precision, and compassion. For physicians like myself, they represent a path forward—one rooted in progress, responsibility, and above all, humanity.

Pain may be a universal experience, but suffering doesn’t have to be. My mission is to help people find relief in a way that’s safe, sustainable, and tailored to them—not just for today, but for the long road ahead.