Pediatric pain requires a multidisciplinary approach that takes both a child’s physical and psychological well-being into account and reduces the use of pain medications when possible. At Boston Children’s Hospital, our clinicians work together to address acute and chronic pain using the most effective methods from many different specialties, including interventional pain management.

Doctor sits in office with woman

As part of this team approach, the skilled clinicians in Boston Children’s Pediatric Interventional Pain Program offer a variety of minimally invasive interventional pain management options to eligible patients, including spine procedures, peripheral nerve blocks, muscle, joint and bursa procedures, and more. Learn more about the conditions we help manage and the services we offer.

March 25, 2021

Interventional techniques help Molly thrive with chronic pain

Molly McGowan loves baking, sewing, and taking daily walks in the woods with her goldendoodle, Cooper. But Cooper isn’t just any pet. He’s her service dog and a significant source of support. “I…

October 23, 2019

Interventional pain techniques bring Sadie relief

It’s hard for Sadie Doherty and her parents to remember a time when she hasn’t been in pain. Now 17, she had gastrointestinal problems “right off the bat,” says her father, Mike. Testing at Boston…

September 16, 2019

Minimally invasive approaches help ease Sydney’s chronic pain

Sydney Hart wants to reimagine the traditional “handicap” symbol. In her online shop, she offers pins, stickers, and other products that infuse the classic wheelchair silhouette with yin-yang symbols…

Our approach to interventional pain management

The Pediatric Interventional Pain Program is part of Boston Children’s Pain Treatment Center — a Center of Excellence and the oldest and largest pediatric pain clinic in the country — in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine. We work closely with the hospital’s Division of Pain Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital's Pain Management Center. At Boston Children’s, we collaborate with many other specialties — including orthopedics, sports medicine, neurosurgery, neurology, gastroenterology, oncology, genetics, and pediatrics — to provide our young patients with the most effective interventional pain relief options available.

We offer prompt appointments for referrals, urgent nerve block appointments for both inpatients and outpatients, and inpatient catheter rehabilitation admissions for breaks in the refractory pain cycle. Telemedicine treatment options for patient follow-up are available for international, out-of-state, and local patients.

The Pediatric Interventional Pain Program takes an evidence-driven approach to care. Based on our deep experience in using minimally invasive interventions to treat pain in adults, our clinicians are refining the application of these approaches in children, adolescents, and young adults. At the same time, we are following the progress of these patients with the goal of establishing a robust body of outcomes evidence.