Dr. Laxmaiah Manchikanti: Where Pain Management is Now and Where Its Headed

Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD, is the chairman of the board and CEO of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) and the Society of Interventional Pain Management Surgery Centers (SIPMS); medical director of the Pain Management Center of Paducah (Ky.); and associate clinical professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at the University of Louisville, Kentucky.
 
Q: What do you see as the top issues facing pain management now?
 
Dr. Laxmaiah Manchikanti: The top issues facing pain management are different for different specialties, even though they do have some similarities. In broad, general terms, pain management is divided into pain medicine and interventional pain management. While both specialties have substantial similarities, they also have significant differences. In pain medicine, there are providers who focus on utilizing opioids only or cognitive behavioral therapy only; some physicians combine these two and also utilize interventional techniques. Similarly, interventional pain management could be practiced by only utilizing interventional techniques, or with opioids, or with cognitive therapy, or combination of two or three.