Interventional pain management refers to a group of pain relieving procedures that are performed with the a physical instrument such as a needle or probe. These procedures range from simple trigger point injections to more complex, image guided spinal procedures. Physicians who practice interventional pain procedures have a medical degree and speciality and subspeciality training in pain medicine. Sub speciality certification in pain medicine is gold standard for these physicians.
There is no law that prevents a licensed physician performing spine interventions. Therefore, many physicians without recognized training or credentials indulge in these high risk practice of medicine. These physicians take weekend courses on cadavers or train themselves from video presentations. It's like an electrician doing plumbing after watching HGTV. If you are searching for the bonafide interventional pain physician, you should ask the following questions:
A) Are you a graduate of an ACGME (The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education is responsible for the accreditation of post-MD medical training programs within the United States) approved pain fellowship program? More information at acgme.org
B) Are you an ABMS ( American Board of Medical Specialists) board certified in the sub speciality of pain medicine. Those who have successfully completed a ACGME approved pain fellowship are board eligible for the sub speciality certification? More information at abms.org
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