Pain is often overlooked in medical treatment but addressing it early can significantly benefit patients. At the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital (TNGMSSH), the Pain Clinic has seen a steady increase in patients. Since April 2023, the clinic has treated over 6,000 outpatients and performed more than 800 major and minor procedures.
The hospital recently initiated the Fellow of National Board (Pain Medicine) course, offering two of the four seats available in the country. According to Dr. D. Ashok Kumar, head of the Department of Pain Medicine at TNGMSSH, the clinic specializes in treating two categories of pain: non-cancer pain (such as trigeminal neuralgia, occipital neuralgia, and low back pain) and cancer pain.
For trigeminal neuralgia, characterized by severe facial pain, doctors utilize Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) of the trigeminal nerve, a precise and low-risk technique. RFA is considered the latest and most sought-after method in pain medicine.
The clinic also focuses on knee pain, particularly due to osteoarthritis. Dr. Ashok Kumar mentions that they employ advanced treatments including RFA and regenerative medicine like Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy. They perform bone marrow aspiration to regenerate damaged cartilage using stem cells, which is now extended to knee and shoulder pain as well as sports injuries like tennis elbow.
Dr. Ashok Kumar also notes that the State government has supplied commercial PRP kits to support these efforts.
