Defining Pain Mapping, Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pain Mapping?
Pain mapping is a technique used to locate the source of the patient’s pain.

What is the Purpose of Pain Mapping?
The purpose of pain mapping is important so that our doctors can treat only the specific area in the least invasive way possible.

Why is Pain Mapping an Advancement from other Techniques?
Early methods of diagnosis had no way of identifying what areas of the spine were causing pain and what was not. Now we have MRI scans and we can easily determine whether or not someone actually needs a fusion. But, an MRI may not give the doctor enough information to make a surgical decision, so that’s why we use a pain mapping process that identifies the exact source of the pain.

In other words, a pinched nerve may only be causing 50% of the pain while another nerve maybe be responsible the other 50% of the pain. With pain mapping, the patient and the doctor can isolate the exact points of pain and take direct steps to correcting that problem, which may or may not include surgery.

How is the Pain Mapping Technique Performed?
Pain mapping is performed using local anesthesia and light sedation while the patient is awake. The purpose of pain mapping is to isolate the exact source or sources of the pain, while keeping the pain at an absolute minimum. While an MRI may show several points of concern, the information gathered from the pain mapping procedure can have a direct effect on the surgical decision making process.

If you have further questions about pain mapping or other minimally invasive techniques, visit our website at zerospinepain.com

Tags: Back Pain, Laser Spine Surgery, Medical Questions, Minimally Invasive Spine Institute