Intrathecal Pain Pump Implant

Kentuckiana Pain Specialists
Ajith Nair, M.D.
Interventional Pain Management located in Louisville, KY & Elizabethtown, KY

An experienced interventional pain specialist, Ajith Nair, MD, is highly skilled in using intrathecal pain pumps to treat chronic pain to reduce your dependence on opioids. At Kentuckiana Pain Specialists in Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Nair is a leading provider of intrathecal pain pumps and has over 20 years’ experience with pump implantation. He provides customized care plans to protect the function of your pump and ensure your chronic pain is well-controlled. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Nair online or by phone today to learn more about the benefits of an intrathecal pain pump.

Intrathecal Pain Pump Implant Q & A

What is an intrathecal pain pump implant?

An intrathecal pain pump implant is a method of delivering medications directly into your spinal cord with the use of a small, implantable pump. The system releases medications in microdoses to control pain.

The benefit of an intrathecal pain pump is that medications bypass your stomach, so you receive their full benefit. If you’re in need of increasing doses of oral opioid medications, you may experience health complications or an addiction as a side effect.

A pain pump can effectively control pain without the need for oral medications and requires much smaller doses of the medicines to achieve pain relief.

Why would I need an intrathecal pain pump?

You may be a candidate for an intrathecal pain pump if you have chronic pain that’s not treatable with more conservative therapies and you no longer tolerate or want to take opioid painkillers.

Dr. Nair evaluates your medical history and existing health before recommending a pain pump as a treatment for painful conditions like:

  • Cancer
  • Migraines
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Chronic pancreatitis
  • Failed back surgery syndrome

Intrathecal pain pump therapy can also treat muscle spasticity common with cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.

Before you can consider a permanent pain pump, Dr. Nair works with you through a trial phase to see if injections of medications treat your pain.

What can I expect during treatment with an intrathecal pain pump?

As an experienced interventional pain management specialist, Dr. Nair can perform the implant surgery for an intrathecal pain pump. He performs the procedure in two parts, first placing a catheter into the intrathecal space around your spinal cord through a small incision in your back.

In the second part of the surgery, Dr. Nair places the pump through a small incision just below your waist. The device delivers microdoses of pain medications into your spine to relieve chronic pain.

Following your surgery, you need to heal before you can return to your usual activities. Many people experience a significant reduction in pain soon after treatment starts. However, it may take some time for you to achieve the full benefit of therapy.

You’ll schedule medication refill appointments with Dr. Nair on a regular basis. During these appointments, he also ensures the pump is working properly and that the implant site is free of infections.

Intrathecal Pain Pump Appointments

To find out if you’re a candidate for treatment with an intrathecal pain pump, contact Kentuckiana Pain Specialists pain management clinics by phone or online today.

Contact Us

At Kentuckiana Pain Specialists we offer extensive cervical facet joint treatment. We have been in business since 1992 and has offered quality treatments for your neck pain. Call 502-995-4004 today. 

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Our new Kentuckiana Pain Specialist Ambulatory Surgery Center is now accredited with the Joint Commission.