Surgical management of chronic pain

Service contact information

Service detail

Techniques

Spinal cord stimulation, lesions – open cordotomy and dorsal root entry zone lesioning.

Indications

Chronic neuropathic pain; chronic non-malignant pain, including refractory low back pain 

Cancer pain – Treatment for the primary condition, lesions and intrathecal drug delivery systems.

Outcomes are viewed as critically important and over the years the neurosurgical service has several publications to attest to this.

Trigeminal neuralgia and other facial pain

There is a major interest in the management of trigeminal neuralgia, and The Walton Centre has an international reputation for this, evidenced by many publications on the subject.

Trigeminal neuralgia is managed by the neurosurgeons who will deliver microvascular decompression as first-line treatment, medical management and foramen ovale procedures. There is a further interest in other neuralgic pain due to compression syndromes, including hemifacial spasm, tinnitus, otalgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia.

A joint facial pain clinic is run with neurology, pain medicine for cases of diagnostic difficulty; for trigeminal autonomic cephalgias, including cluster headaches, occipital nerve stimulation is provided, and for some difficult facial neuropathic pains deep brain stimulation may be appropriate. They can also be supported by a facial pain management programme in most challenging to manage facial pain.

Many of these techniques involve implanted devices – these are supported on a day-to-day basis by a team of specialist nurses and physiotherapists working for the neuromodulation service with close support and supervision from the pain and neurosurgical service. There is an intrathecal drug delivery system pump refill clinic, spinal cord stimulator clinics and deep brain stimulation clinics

Getting here

The Walton Centre - Main Hospital Building

The Walton Centre Main Building

This building hosts many of our in-patient services, including wards and theatres, and some outpatients services.

Address

Lower Lane, Liverpool, L9 7LJ

Directions and map

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is not responsible for third-party sites or content.

Patient leaflets

Cervical Cordotomy

This is a specialised pain control procedure. Pain is transmitted by nerves so it may be possible to reduce pain by blocking signals from affected nerves. 

Cervical Epidural Injection

“Epidural injection” is the name given to an injection into the epidural space. The epidural space lies inside the bony spine. The spinal cord and spinal nerves lie within the epidural space surrounded by a thin skin (dural membrane). A cervical epidural is an injection of steroid mixture into the epidural space in the lower part of the neck.

Saddle neurolytic block

Using saddle neurolytic block for pain relief

Trigger point injections

Trigger point injections - what they are

Ways to cope with reducing opioid medication

You have been given this leaflet because your clinician has recommended that you reduce or even stop your current opioid prescription. This leaflet aims to support and provide you with more information about managing a reduction and acknowledges some of the difficulties that you may experience. ‘Opioids’ refer to all medications that contain morphine or codeine derived from the poppy plant or synthetic types of medication that work in a similar way such as, dihydrocodeine, oxycodone or fentanyl. 

View all related Patient leaflets

Surgical management of chronic pain Consultants

Mr Jibril Osman Farah

Mr Jibril Osman Farah is a Consultant Neurosurgeon at The Walton Centre.

Ms Deepti Bhargava

Ms Deepti Bhargava is a Consultant Neurosurgeon at The Walton Centre.

Page last updated: 23 June 2021

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