Renowned pain expert Dr. Richard Rauck discusses how pain education is changing. He emphasizes the importance of physician training in multiple areas, including neuroradiology and psychiatry, then considers the role of device innovation and drug development in pain management. Dr. Rauck finishes with a discussion of the opioid crisis and the role of physicians in reducing the burden of opioid use in pain management.

Dr. David Rosenblum discusses his approach in treating headaches. He explains the importance of identifying the type of headache before any treatment can be selected. He describes a case in which he performed a sphenopalatine ganglion block that resolved occipital and facial pain completely. He also explains how to block both the maxillary and mandibular branches of the trigeminal nerve.

Douglass Beall, MD, discusses managing discogenic back pain without surgery. Traditionally, patients can use physical therapy and chiropractic interventions to help manage back pain. Surgery can be used to help manage it as well; however, it is expensive and only 50% of patients improve after surgical procedures. Non-invasive methods for managing back pain include nerve ablation, and injections with stem cells, hydrogels, or amino acid peptides. The average procedure time for these non-invasive methods is 5.5 minutes, and studies show that there is significant improvement in pain, function, and quality of life.

Dr. David Rosenblum discusses the webinars and podcasts he has created to help doctors do well on board exams. He explains how different medical backgrounds can be deficient in some aspects as it pertains to physiatry. One of many examples he gives is that anesthesiologist may require further education on radiology. He has created hundreds of questions from current syllabi in several medical specialties, topics that may not have been discussed during their fellowship.