Pain Clinic

When prior treatments have failed, MUSC Health physicians use ablation therapy to treat patients’ pain and provide long-term pain relief. The outpatient procedure lasts about one hour and is performed under local anesthesia to ensure the patient’s comfort. A tiny needle with a microelectrode attached is inserted under X-ray guidance into the pain source. The electrode heats the source and disrupts their natural impulses.

Managing pain is an important part of cancer treatment. There are several ways to help reduce cancer pain and improve comfort. These may include pain medications, nerve blocks, and physical therapy. For more severe pain, an intrathecal pump may be used. This small device delivers pain medicine directly to the area around the spinal cord, providing stronger pain relief with fewer side effects. Your doctor will work with you to find the best pain relief plan to help you feel more comfortable during your cancer treatment.

When conservative pain management methods have failed to relieve chronic pain in the low back, leg, neck, or arm, a spinal cord stimulator may be recommended as an alternative to surgery.

The spinal cord stimulator works by blocking nerve pain signals that travel up the spinal cord to the brain. It is inserted beneath the skin in the back near the spinal cord and contains a battery similar to that of a pacemaker. The device emits electrical impulses to disrupt the nervous system’s natural impulses. The frequency, strength, and location of the stimulator’s electrical impulses can be precisely controlled through programming or handheld devices. An advantage of the stimulator is that it can be used temporarily on a trial basis before it is permanently implanted.

When other pain relief methods haven’t worked for chronic pain in specific areas of the body, a peripheral nerve stimulator may be recommended as an alternative to surgery.

A peripheral nerve stimulator helps reduce pain by blocking pain signals from traveling along nerves to the brain. The device is placed under the skin near the affected nerve and contains a small battery, similar to a pacemaker. It sends mild electrical impulses to interrupt pain signals. The strength, frequency, and location of these impulses can be adjusted using a handheld device or through programming. One benefit of this stimulator is that it can be tested temporarily before deciding on permanent implantation.

ReActiv8 Therapy is a treatment for people who have long-lasting lower back pain. It uses a small device that is placed under the skin to send gentle electrical signals to muscles in the lower back. These signals help activate the muscles, making them stronger and improving movement. This therapy can reduce pain and help people move more easily, especially when other treatments haven’t worked.

Epidural steroid injections involve a mixture of numbing medication and a steroid injected at the spine's level with a disc herniation or other cause of nerve irritation. The injection can be done in the neck, thoracic area, or lower back. In the low back, people sometimes call this problem "sciatica." Epidural steroid injections are relatively safe, quick procedures and are good options to try before considering surgery for back pain. Although these injections provide temporary relief, they can be repeated.

Nerve blocks and joint injections are used to relieve pain in the back, as well as pain in the muscles, nerves, and joints in various parts of the body. They’re also used to identify and diagnose sources of pain. In some cases, a nerve block may be recommended if surgery is not an option.

Injections and nerve blocks are typically outpatient procedures with local anesthesia to ensure patient comfort. Typically, X-ray or ultrasound guidance is used to identify the precise location for the injection or nerve block.