Dr. Roshni Patel-Interventional Pain Management Physician

What is Interventional Pain Management (IPM)?

It is a study of medicine that focuses on using interventional techniques such as injections and technologies such as image guidance to help alleviate pain conditions. The pain may be the primary reason or maybe a symptom of another disease. 

What is Pain Medicine?

Pain medicine is a broad field of medicine that encompasses interventional pain, medication management, and various other multi-disciplinary involvement to manage and treat pain. 

How is Interventional Pain Management different than Pain Medicine & Pain Management?

The fundamental difference is the use of Interventional techniques employed by an IPM specialist, which help pain conditions. Not all patients need Interventional procedures, and some may very well need medication management to manage their conditions. The end goal of the physician is to help improve your quality of life. An IPM specialist is qualified to treat conditions utilizing a multi-modal approach. In contrast, a Pain medicine physician with no Interventional training may only offer medication management to treat pain. Remember, an IPM specialist, while it does offer medication management, will always be to prescribe very little to no narcotic medication to treat chronic pain. 

Dr. Roshni Patel is part of ASIPP (American Society of Interventional Pain Management Physicians), ASPN (American Society of Pain & NeuroScience. Connecticut Pain Society. 

Who is a qualified IPM specialist?

An Interventional Pain Management specialist is a medical doctor who has completed a fellowship in interventional pain techniques. It is a one-year program where they train on using interventional procedures and medication management to treat conditions. These interventional procedures are learned using image guidance to precisely inject the area of pain. Most IPM specialists are Anesthesia or PMR (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation) trained. Very few of them, such as Dr. Patel, who is Neurology trained. 

Dr. Patel completed her Neurology (Chief resident) training at Uconn School of Medicine and her fellowship at New York University with additional training at the HSS (Hospital for Special Surgery), Ranked #1 Orthopedic hospital in the world)

What do Interventional Pain Management specialists treat?

All interventional Pain Management specialists are trained to evaluate, diagnose, educate and treat the root cause of pain. A good IPM specialist focuses on diagnosing the root cause of pain, and only then can they offer a treatment plan. Conditions treated by an IPM specialist are:

• Lower back pain and neck pain
• Spinal Stenosis
• Sciatica
• Degenerative disc disease
• Disc herniation
• Radiculopathy
• Facetogenic pain
• Sacroiliitis
• Spondylosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Shingles (Post-herpetic Neuralgia)
• Arthritis pain
• Work injury pain
• Nerve (neuropathic) pain
• Headaches and migraines
• Occipital neuralgia
• Trigeminal Neuralgia
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• (CPRS)
• Compression Fractures
• Post Laminectomy Syndrome
• Failed Fusion Syndrome

Is one Interventional Pain Management Physician different than another?

Yes, every Interventional physician has a unique style and technique in how they treat pain. A good pain management physician focuses on minimal interventions that lead to maximum benefit. Additionally, they will employ different methods to treat pain. The goal is to prevent surgery, restore function, improve quality of life and educate the patient on lifestyle changes. Lastly, each physician has an area of pain that they like to focus on and an area they do not want to focus on.

Dr. Patel's primarily focuses on the following conditions:

• Joint pain due to degeneration
• Arthritis
• Lower back and neck pain
• degenerative disc 
• Bone on bone pain 
• Facetogenic pain
• Sacroiliitis
• Spinal stenosis
• Sciatica 
• Disc herniation
• Post Laminectomy Syndrome
• Failed Fusion Syndrome

What to look for in an Interventional Pain Management physician

Look for a physician that treats the conditions you are diagnosed with by your primary. Call the office and ask if they treat that condition. Not every IPM treats everything unless they have a team of physicians that focuses on different pain conditions. 

When do you seek out an Interventional Physician?

We recommend a consultation with an IPM specialist when your acute pain has become chronic. Pain that lasts for more than three months is considered chronic pain. An IPM specialist is best suited for orthopedic pain conditions and offers interventional techniques performed under image guidance to promote maximum relief and avoid surgical interventions. Not every situation needs surgical intervention, and an IMP specialist can guide you or recommend a surgical consultation when required. 

Future of Interventional Pain Management

We are genuinely excited about the future of pain management as we are seeing the first-hand benefit now. Regenerative medicine and therapies offer an alternative to many pain conditions by employing techniques that promote pain relief using the body's healing mechanism. Dr. Patel has treated many patients using interventional pain management procedures by incorporating regenerative injection therapy. Dr. Patel's additional training and background make her the #1 choice of patients and physicians looking for an expert opinion. 

These cutting-edge procedures have helped patients avoid surgery and find pain relief. Please note that not all patients are candidates for regenerative medicine, and insurance companies do not approve these procedures. We hope that insurance providers will one day be authorized, including medicare, with enough studies and data. 

To make an appointment with Dr. Patel, call 860-397-6179.