Pain Management with Endovascular WA

At Endovascular WA we understand that chronic pain can be debilitating and life altering.  Under the guidance of Dr Sanjay Nadkarni, the team at Endovascular WA strive to provide compassionate, and individualized care for each and every patient.   Pain Management can be a journey and with over 20 years experience in chronic pain management Dr Sanjay Nadkarni can assist in pain relief relating to work injuries, sports injuries, arthritic pain, chronic pain, headaches, post-surgical pain, neuropathic pain, and spinal pain.

General Pain Management FAQs

Q. Do you have to have private health insurance?

A. No, Dr Nadkarni will assist both public and private patients with their pain management needs.

Q. Do I need a GP referral?

A. Yes, with a GP referral there are rebates offered on both your pain management consultation and your treatments.

Nerve Root Sleeve Injections

Q. Will the procedure hurt?
A. Some patients may experience some limb pain when the needle is near the nerve. This will not cause any nerve damage.
Q. How long does the procedure take?
A. Your initial consultation will take between 15 – 30 minutes. The injection itself will take approximately 30 minutes.
Q. Can I drive to the Nerve Root Sleeve injection?
A. No, we advise you have someone drive you to and from your appointment.
Q. Will the injection eliminate my symptoms?
A. Every patient is different and your doctor will discuss expected outcomes with you prior to your procedure. Some people however do not have significant benefit from the procedure.

Facet Joint Injections

Q. Will the injections alleviate my symptoms?
A. The degree and duration of relief is very varied. A lot of our patients experience complete pain relief for months or years. Some, however  experience little or no benefit.
Q. How long will the procedure take?
A. The procedure will take approximately 30 minutes.

Epidural Injections

Q. Will the injection hurt?
A. There is  some discomfort involved during the injection, however, we do administer a local anaesthetic prior to the injection which will help.
Q. Can I drive after the injection ?
A. No please have someone drive you to and from your appointment.
Q. Can I go back to work the next day?
A. You should be able to unless the procedure was complicated. Usually you will feel some back pain or have a “sore back”
Q. Will this fix my symptoms?
A. The immediate effect is usually from the local anesthetic injected. This wears off in a few hours. The cortisone starts working in about 3 to 5 days and its effect can last for several days to a few months to sometimes years.
Q. What are the risks and side effects?
A. Generally speaking, this procedure is safe. However, with any procedure there are risks, side effects, and possibility of complications. The most common side effect is pain – which is temporary. The other risk involve spinal puncture with headaches, infection, bleeding inside the Epidural space with nerve damage, worsening of symptoms etc. The other risks are related to the side effects of cortisone: These include weight gain, increase in blood sugar (mainly in diabetics), water retention, suppression of body’s own natural production of cortisone etc.