5th January 2024

Non-Pharmacological Management of Pain

Nerve Blocks

Local nerve blocks can be used to help manage pain and can reduce the need for large opioid doses. Examples include coeliac plexus blocks for upper abdominal pain and saddle blocks for perineal or perianal pain. Spinal or epidural nerve blocks may also be used for difficult-to-manage pain.

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy can be used to manage localised bone pain alongside analgesia, steroids and bisphosphonates. This can be completed as a single fraction, requiring one visit, or in multiple fractions, requiring multiple visits. The patient’s prognosis and personal choice should be taken into account when deciding between single and multiple-fraction radiotherapy.

Surgery

This can include prophylactic fixation of long bones with lytic metastases, vertebroplasties for unstable vertebral fractures and debulking of tumours causing problems due to compression.