The Pain, Headache, and Interventional Pain Program at Boston Medical Center provides consultation for inpatients and outpatients as well as a full range of therapeutic options. For nearly ten years, our group has been at the forefront of pain management. We are proud to be one of the few multidisciplinary pain management groups in an academic Neurology department. Our headache specialists are experts in both oral and injectable pharmacological interventions including anti-GCRP therapies and botulinum injections. Our specialists also work closely with inpatient neurology in cases of refractory headaches necessitating admission for intravenous medications. For somatic and body pain, our specialists provider the most up-to-date care via medications, interventional procedures, physical therapy regimens, and implantable devices. They also work closely with orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery specialists to provider multidisciplinary care.

Areas of Expertise 

  • Headache and migraine
  • Back pain
  • Failed back surgery pain
  • Neck pain
  • Cancer pain
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Arthritis pain
  • Myofascial pain syndromes           
  • Post herpetic neuralgia
  • Radiculopathies
  • Neuralgias
  • Neuropathies
  • Complex regional pain syndrome, CRPS (formally: Reflex sympathetic dystrophy pain, RSD)
  • Abdominal pain
  • Chest wall pain

Diagnostics

  • Neuroimaging
  • Lumbar puncture
  • Sympathetic blocks
  • Peripheral nerve block
  • Spinal cord stimulator trials

Treatments

Our specialists approach most cases initially with conservative treatments to effectively reduce your pain and improve our patients’ quality of life and function. If conservative measures are insufficient, our specialists offer the full spectrum of minimally invasive procedure-based treatments ranging from basic injections to state-of-the-art implantable therapies. They also work closely with orthopedic and neurosurgery specialists to discuss surgical interventions if needed.

Special Programs

We complete fluoroscopy-guided injections at a state-of-the-art suite. We also provide expert care via spinal cord stimulator and peripheral nerve stimulator trials.

Contact Us

Neurology Department
725 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118
Shapiro Center
617.638.8456
Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Specialty Clinics

Our Team

Neurology

Sunali Shah, MD

Anesthesia

Psychiatry

Research Overview

The interventional pain division faculty has conducted research on lumbar puncture-related headaches and interventional pain procedures. They have also conducted studies on pain management in the urgent care setting. Current and upcoming projects include double-blinded trials on lumbar puncture headache prophylaxis, NSAID burst therapy, evaluation of the simplified epiduralysis after laminectomy fusion (SEAL procedure), headache characterization in COVID-19 illness, and the use of telemedicine in neurology.

Residency and Fellowship Information

Education and Training

The interventional pain division faculty participate in the education and training of residents who wish to gain experience in interventional pain and related procedures. They regularly participate in hands-on teaching at the Solomont Simulation Center during which they train residents in injections and other procedures.