For National Pain Week 2024 we are reflecting on the theme #Painchanger.
Living with chronic pain can be incredibly challenging, impacting every aspect of your life. When traditional pain management strategies are not enough, your pain specialist might recommend a nerve stimulator trial. But what does this mean, and what can you expect from the process? Let's delve into the details.
Radiofrequency neurotomy is an advanced interventional procedure designed to manage specific types of back pain, particularly those originating from the small joints in the back of the spine, known as the facet joints. These joints can become painful due to injury or degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis, often associated with aging.
Chronic pain is a multifaceted experience, varying from mild to severe and impacting every facet of life. It can go beyond physical discomfort, often intertwining with mental health issues like depression and anxiety, while also affecting social connections.
Patients who seek help at a pain clinic often grapple with persistent symptoms that resist conventional treatments, causing distress and disruption to their lives. Recognising the complexity of these cases, we place a significant emphasis on research as a cornerstone of our approach to patient care.
At Hunter Pain Specialists, we pride ourselves on having a team of dedicated and experienced pain management nurses who play a crucial role in this multidisciplinary care framework.
A holistic approach is used to treat patients with persistent pain in pain clinics because chronic pain is complex and multifactorial. It affects all aspects of the patient’s life.
Chronic pain is a complex experience and studies to test the efficacy of new drugs need to mimic human pain conditions.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, about 4.0 million Australians (16% of the total population) have back problems. In this video, Dr Russo focuses on the differences between chronic and acute low back pain.
The words we use to describe our pain can play a pivotal role in the diagnosis and management of our conditions.
Unfortunately Cancer and pain are often associated.
Remote monitoring abstract authored by Dr Russo wins President's Choice at ASRA pain meeting.
These days, there seems to be more demand for Masters sports, says Mandy Hagstrom, an exercise scientist at UNSW.
Hunter Pain Specialists believes that ongoing education and learning is is essential to deliver the best quality of care
For optimum results and making sure that you're minimising the chance of your pain becoming a chronic pain, it's important to attend to your mental health.
We have full language for describing tastes and flavours or sensations or what we've seen. But when it comes to the vocabulary of describing a painful experience, we may be lost for words.
Research is an integral part of what we do in order to offer our patients the best possible treatment options.
Facial pain can be incredibly debilitating.
Mental health and physical health are tightly connected. In this video Dr. Pek Ang explains what role he as a psychiatrist plays in helping patients manage their pain.
It can be hard to know when consulting a pain specialist is a useful step. In this video, Dr. Suiter provides some guidance.
Listen to Dr Russo as he explains his role of President of the International Neuromodulation Society.
Pain is complex and it can be influenced by various factors such as genetics, environment, lifestyle, and overall health.
Unfortunately, the spine or facet joints, which are commonly affected by arthritis, can't simply be replaced the way a knee or a hip can. But there are other treatment strategies available. One of these treatments is radiofrequency.
Treatment for co-occurring pain and depression may be most effective when it involves a combination of treatments.
Arthritis is the leading cause of chronic pain and the second most common cause of disability and early retirement due to ill health in Australia.
In Australia, 1.8 million women lived with chronic pain, however, they have often felt misunderstood.
As we age, our bodies undergo a number of changes. While some of these changes may impact our routines and limit our activity, being aware of them can also help us prevent complications and tackle difficulties as they arise, improving our quality of life.
Sport is a part of the Australian lifestyle and, while an active lifestyle is definitely positive for our wellbeing, practising sports can also lead to sports injuries. In this article we talk about a common one: ankle sprains.
We can use science to understand what we can do and, it is within our control, to improve our lives and cope better with challenging situations.
"A smile is a curve that sets everything straight." - Comedian Phyllis Diller
Strong interactions between the conscious and subconscious mind and ongoing and intentional positive thinking work together to reprogram the brain.
Chronic pain can be extremely debilitating and can have devastating effects on an individuals quality of life, independence, ability to work, relationships and overall well being.
Chronic pain is an unmistakable obstacle to wellbeing. Mindfulness can improve coping abilities and aid the emotional distress that people with persistent pain feel.
A novel approach to spinal cord stimulation (SCS), which involves targeting the dorsal horn dendrite—in contrast with more traditional ‘axonal’ SCS techniques—has been labelled as a “true breakthrough” in the field of pain management.
The 15th World Congress of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS) was held on May 21st-26th in Barcelona, Spain. This year’s congress had the theme: “Neuromodulation: From Scientific Theory to Revolutionary Therapy”.
The article, which appears in the journal Neuromodulation, collected data from 204 patients with an Evoke ECAP-SCS device
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Today, 2.8 million people around the world have MS.
The article, entitled 'Ambroxol for neuropathic pain: hiding in plain sight?' appears in the scientific journal PAIN.
Pain can be one of the most difficult 'invisible’ symptoms to describe and manage. Only the person experiencing it knows how it feels. It has an emotional element – it can cause distress, fear, anger and frustration, which in turn affect how you deal with it.
The INS, of which Dr Russo is President, is relaunching the in-person INS 15th World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, May 21-26, 2022. The event will continue to maintain an online presence, providing opportunities for virtual access to the educational content.
Fibromyalgia is a common condition in which people experience symptoms that include widespread pain and tenderness in the body, often accompanied by fatigue and problems with memory and concentration.
It is our pleasure to welcome Dr Cillian Suiter to the Hunter Pain Specialists team.
There are many myths about what being diagnosed with arthritis means and who can be affected by this group of diseases.
Arthritis is very common, affecting 1 in 6 Australians, and the term includes conditions that we don’t often identify as part of the arthritis spectrum, such as Gout or Growing Pains.
Theres no denying that time out doors coupled with physical activity can be a game changer when it comes to physical and mental health.
Although nonsurgical treatments, including physical therapy, chiropractic care, nonopioid and opioid medications, injections, and medial branch rhizotomy, provide modest relief and improved function for some, they are ineffective or provide only transient relief for many.
Dr Russo recently published an article in InSight+. You can read the full article below.
The aim of National Pain Week 2021 is to remind the friends, family and professionals around people who experience persistent pain, that connection is key to addressing the social isolation which pain can create.
An implantable restorative-neurostimulator for refractory mechanical chronic low back pain: a randomized sham-controlled clinical trial.
Dr Russo along with his colleagues conducted the first systematic nationwide survey to provide an overview of neuromodulation in the past 20 years in India.
Primary research needs to be followed by best practice synthesis papers and then we need to do this - find out what clinicians are actually doing. Dr Russo is very grateful to having worked with some great coauthors.
The only Pain Conference of the year!
This is the second research paper to come out of our collaborative investigator-initiated study with researchers from The University of Sydney and Macquarie University.
A wonderful Doctor and a wonderful human being.
Every single donation can help change someone's life.
The North American Neuromodulation Society Annual Meeting
The 2019 edition of Australasian Anaesthesia has a variety of “hot” topics relevant to any practice who needs anaesthesiologists.
Hunter Pain Specialists will be participating in the Harbour to Vine Cycle Classic - New Understandings in Pain Management event. We are excited to be part of the ride and workshop to raise awareness of the Pain Revolution and to support our bid to hold a Pain Revolution event in the Hunter in 2021.
A campaign to raise awareness about pain as a serious public health issue and to create greater understanding among health professionals, individuals and families, legislators and the wider community.
Each year, the International Association of Pain (IASP) selects a topic for the Global Year Against Pain. 2019 is the Global Year Against Pain in the Most Vulnerable.
It’s been a very busy 12 months for our clinic. The year kicked off with Dr Marc Russo attending the NANS Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.
Worldwide, November is recognised as CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) Awareness Month.
Dr Russo was recently interviewed by the ABC.
Being the Director-at-Large for the Neuromodulation Society of Australia and New Zealand (NSANZ) New South Wales, Dr Marc Russo has seen first-hand what the Federal Government is proposing in relation to private health insurance funding changes.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is an enigmatic disease and has defied a clear unified pathological explanation to date. It is a devastating, painful condition that may develop in a limb after an injury, surgery or other trauma.
There is increasing evidence for a lack of long term benefit from conventional “pure mu” opioids when used for chronic non-cancer pain [1-3].
Currently, Hunter Pain Clinic is assessing where the role of medicinal cannabis might lie in terms of treatment of persistent non-cancer pain.
Neuromodulation represents an advanced pain management therapy for patients with chronic, refractory pain.
Dr Russo and the Executive Board of NSANZ meeting with Mr Omar Ishrak, CEO of the Medtronic company.
Dr Russo recently implanted Australia's first Intellis device - the world's smallest spinal cord stimulator system.
As both the public and medical practitioners would know there has been an up-scheduling of codeine in pharmacies.
Thank you so much for your support of the Special Children’s Christmas Party and for giving hundreds and hundreds of local families just like Chloe’s a perfect day. We couldn’t have done it without you.
The act of controlling one’s breath for the purpose of restoring or enhancing health has been practiced for thousands of years amongst Eastern cultures.
The Hunter Pain Clinic team were thrilled to recently receive recertification of AS/NZS ISO 9001-2016: Quality Management Systems.
Dr Russo has performed the first cases of Stimwave spinal cord and peripheral nerve stimulation in Australia.
Pelvic pain is a broad term to describe any pain within the area of the lower abdomen/pelvis.
It has been our pleasure to have Dr Stanley Wong from the Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Hong Kong with us for the past three months.
Dr Marc Russo and Dr Willem Volschenk have co-authored a paper that appeared in Healthed.
Dr Russo recently attended the Neuromodulation Society of Australia and New Zealand (NSANZ) 12th Annual Scientific Meeting and the 2017 Australian Pain Society (APS) 37th Annual Scientific Meeting.
Etanercept is an injectable medication used to treat various inflammatory conditions.
The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) has designated 2017 as the “Global Year Against Pain After Surgery”.
Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (PENS) is a relatively modern neurostimulation therapy for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain.
Over the weekend, Dr Marc Russo attended the 4th Scientific Meeting...
Radiofrequency neurotomy (RFN), also known as radiofrequency ablation, is a...
October is Mental Health Month – a month designated to raising awareness and understanding of mental health issues across the nation, and to promote mental wellbeing, coping strategies and recovery.
Botulinum toxin type A is a neurotoxin produced by strains of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria that has therapeutic properties when injected into muscle tissue.
Participants were recruited from the 1946-1951 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal...
Candidates are sought for the position of Advanced Trainee in Pain Medicine at Hunter Pain Specialists, a multidisciplinary Pain Clinic in Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Whether pain is acute or chronic, injury or disease-related, located in the back or the head or somewhere else in the body, doctors will often ask their patients to quantify their pain using a pain rating scale.
Effect of Perioperative Intravenous Lidocaine Infusion on Acute and Chronic Pain...
Each year, the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) designates a focus topic in order to raise awareness and promote research into an area of pain. The focus for 2014-2015 is Neuropathic Pain.
