Interventional Physiatrists specialize in the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of back and neck pain due to degenerative disease, sports and occupational injuries. Trained in all aspects of physical medicine and rehabilitation, they work in concert with the neurologists and neurosurgeons to determine if back pain can be alleviated without surgery.

Four out of five Americans experience low back pain, and it accounts for the majorities of disabilities for people under 45. It is the second most common reason that people see their family physician. Causes range from sport or work injuries to arthritis and other degenerative conditions. Advances in medical care and technology have resulted in an increasingly aging population, and consequently seniors are increasingly in need of relief from debilitating back pain.

The benefits for all these patients from the growing medical specialty of physiatry have been greatly expanded by critical advances in diagnostic tools.

Prior to the early 1980’s, spine surgery or bed rest were the basic parameters for severe back pain. Then came a conservative alternative to surgery, corticosteroid injections, which were a common method for pain reduction.

The introduction of advanced imaging techniques – Computerized tomography (CT scans) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the 1980’s -- was the beginning of a revolution in meticulous diagnostics.  The improved images that these tests provided led to more accurate injection techniques.