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Pain Management

Interventional pain management is a subspecialty of interventional radiology with the goal to relieve, reduce, or manage chronic and/or acute pain in the spine, adjacent muscles, or joints.

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Pain Management Injections & Treatments

At South Coast Radiology we provide a full range of pain management interventional procedures including, Joint Injection, Facet Block Injection, Nerve Root Injection, Steroid Injection, Plasma Rich Platelet and Vertebroplasty. These procedures are minimally invasive and typically involve the injection of local anesthetic along with a steroid medication. These procedures usually involve CT or ultrasound image guidance for the precise delivery to the area of concern including joints, bursae, tendons, nerve roots and more.

Our specialist radiologists have the necessary expertise to deal with all aspects of image-guided pain management procedures.  If you are a healthcare specialist needing expert advice for your patient, simply call one of our radiologists to discuss specifics.

Find out more about the Pain Management services we offer in this area

Please note; not all services are listed below, and not all services are available at every site

Cortisone and Steroid injections combine hydrocortisone and a long-acting local anaesthetic, to act as a powerful anti-inflammatory. It can be injected into areas of concern causing pain and inflammation. For sports injuries and pain management, Cortisone and Steroid injections will reduce or eliminate pain associated with:

  • Bursitis
  • Arthritis and joint degeneration
  • Nerve pain, including spine and carpal tunnel
  • Tendonitis and tenosynovitis – plantar fasciitis, trigger finger, de Quervain’s, tennis and golfer’s elbow
  • Frozen shoulder – adhesive capsulitis
  • Ganglion cyst

Depending on the area of pain, CT, fluoroscopy or ultrasound is used to ensure the needle delivering the treatment is exactly within the area suspected of causing pain to maximise pain relief. When a fluid collection is present (such as a ganglion), fluid might be removed to relieve distension before cortisone is injected.

Cortisone is a legal steroid medication.

People who suffer acute or chronic spine pain affecting the neck, buttocks, legs or arms might benefit from a nerve block injection to achieve temporary pain relief. A nerve block is used to treat a particular nerve or group of nerves by injecting an anaesthetic or anti-inflammatory agent, which will switch-off pain signals or decrease inflammation. CT or fluoroscopy is used for needle guidance, to ensure the needle is correctly placed to maximise pain relief.

PRP Therapy is an injection that helps speed up the body’s natural healing abilities. A small amount of the patient’s blood is taken and treated to extract the platelets, which is then injected into the area of concern. A high concentration of platelets in the body carry Platelet Growth Factor, which assists with rebooting the repair cycles in certain body issues.

PRP can offer an alternative to surgery as many parts of the body can be treated with PRP therapy, common examples include muscle, ligament and tendon tears and damage, injuries to the; shoulder (rotator cuff repair), elbow (tennis elbow), hip (abductors in Trochanteric Bursitis), knee (patellar Tendon, degeneration and Osteoarthritis) and ankle and foot (Achilles Tendon and Plantar Fasciitis).

PRP Injections are delivered by one of our specially trained Radiologists and is carried out using Ultrasound or X-ray.

Usually, 2 or more injections are required several weeks apart. Patients are encouraged to rest and refrain from any significant activity involving the body part for one week.

Epidural steroid injection is the accurate placement of a very thin needle, at a given level in this space, to inject a steroid and long-acting local anaesthetic. This is performed under the guidance of CT or X-ray as image guidance enables greater accuracy in delivering steroid treatment to the appropriate spinal region.

Your doctor may have referred you for an Epidural if you are suffering from severe or prolonged (chronic) back pain, pain as a result of disc or facet joint problems, or recurrence of back pain after surgery.

Our specialist trained Radiologist will perform this procedure with a nurse at the following locations: John Flynn Private Hospital, Pindara Private Hospital, Robina, Southport, Smith Street, Tweed, Mackay, Darling Downs.

Make an appointment online or call our dedicated bookings line

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Pain Management Frequently Asked Questions

Integrated Pain Management is a form of radiology which provides an innovative approach to the assessment, treatment, and management of chronic pain. It is used when other alternatives to relieve you of pain, such as physiotherapy and massages, have not worked. Alternatively, it is also used for patients who are on a waitlist for surgical procedures.

Using these treatments, pain may be alleviated faster than it would be using other traditional methods and oral medications.

Additionally, it is also a form of treatment which can be used to diagnose the site of pain and control it to allow for physical therapy or exercise. In some cases, it has the potential to delay or even eliminate surgical intervention.

Should the treatment be successful, you can expect to feel relief within a few days. After a few weeks, the full effect should occur.

You may benefit from these procedures if you have undergone other treatments and seen limited relief. You may also benefit if:

  • You have inflammatory pain, such as joint or muscular pain.
  • Other treatment methods such as physiotherapy or massages have only created limited relief from pain symptoms.
  • You have pain which has not subsided and would like a consultation.
  • Are on a waiting list for a surgical procedure such as a hip or knee replacement.

Areas of the body which may be treated by our specialist radiologists include the back, knees, hips, ankles, shoulders, wrists, thumbs, and elbows.

Our fully accredited Radiologists across the Gold Coast perform these procedures in our clinics across the Gold Coast. Our specialist radiologists use CT or ultrasound guidance to inject a fine needle into the affected area. This needle delivers powerful medications directly to the area in which the patient is feeling pain, creating a much more effective way to relieve pain.

Yes. If you are experiencing pain, you will first need to visit your GP and receive a referral for pain management services. At South Coast Radiology, we accept all doctor referrals for pain management.

If you question isn’t answered above, please get in touch with the South Coast Radiology team by calling our Bookings Centre on 1300 197 297.