Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

Welcome to the Division of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

The Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine group is divided into Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management and Chronic and Interventional Pain Medicine, with complementary but different primary focus. We provide both inpatient and outpatient services for a large referral base.

Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain

As a diverse group of regional anesthesiologists, we take great pride in our commitment to improve acute pain in surgical patients, as well as in those patients hospitalized with chronic pain conditions. These goals are central to our division’s overall mission of education, research and service.

All of our division faculty are board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiologists.

VCU Health System is a high volume center, and we perform over 5,000 regional anesthesia procedures a year. We strive to provide innovative patient care, in collaboration with our surgical and medical team colleagues. Our division is also dedicated to providing cohesive and modern educational and training experiences to our residents and regional anesthesia fellows. Every year, we represent VCU Health System with posters and presentations of our research at meetings such as the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, International Anesthesia Research Society and the American Society of Anesthesiologists. The broad extent of our patient care and training include the following:

• Regional Anesthesia for both adult and pediatric patients
• Neuraxial anesthesia, including spinals, epidurals, and combined spinal epidurals
• Upper and lower extremity nerve blocks
• Truncal nerve blocks
• Ambulatory nerve catheter infusions
• Multimodal anesthesia
• Multimodal pain management therapies
• Ketamine infusions
• Lidocaine infusions

• Diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic pain conditions
• Holistic therapies
• Acupuncture
• Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and simulation education

Chronic and Interventional Pain Medicine

The focus of our Chronic and Interventional Pain group is to treat pain that extends beyond the perioperative area, whereby the pain may have its origins in post-surgical causes, cancer, chronic disease, or often, idiopathic conditions. The focus is on restorative therapies that return the patient to healthy adaptive lifestyles without the burden of debilitating pain.

All of our division faculty are board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiologists, the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation or other member boards with added qualifications in pain medicine.

VCU Health System has a balanced, interdisciplinary approach to chronic pain care that utilizes interventional and operative approaches, psychological techniques, physical therapies, pharmacological approaches and alternative approaches such as acupuncture, nutritional care and wellness, all utilized in a comprehensive patient-centered care plan. We train four clinical Chronic and Interventional Pain fellows each year and have a large national presence. Our group produces national level research and strives to continue to find innovative ways to help treat our patients and advance the science of pain care.

Examples of the techniques utilized include:

• Interventional image-guided spinal procedures such as epidural injections, radiofrequency ablation, and sympathetic blocks
• Operative implants: Peripheral nerve stimulators, spinal and dorsal root ganglion stimulators, and intraspinal drug delivery pumps
• Hypnosis, mindfulness meditation, cognitive behavioral and interdisciplinary neuroscience education
• Pharmacologic therapies primarily using neuromodulating agents and non-opioid therapies
• Alternative therapies including acupuncture