By: Dr. Surabhi Kalita, Interventional Pain Specialist and Anaesthesiologist, Senior Consultant, Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Guwahati
Pain is not just a symptom—it can be a disease in itself. Across the world, chronic pain affects more people than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined. Yet in India, and especially in the Northeast, pain remains one of the most under-recognised and undertreated health problems.
Every day, I see patients who have silently suffered for years with conditions like sciatica, low back pain, arthritis, nerve pain, frozen shoulder, post-herpetic neuralgia, and even cancer-related pain. Many have been prescribed painkillers repeatedly, but without real or lasting relief. Some have even been told to “just live with it” or to consider surgery. Very few are aware that there is now a dedicated medical specialty called Pain Medicine that offers long-term solutions without surgery.
Interventional Pain Medicine is an emerging super-speciality that uses modern, minimally invasive procedures to directly target the source of pain. Techniques such as nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), epidural injections, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and ultrasound-guided interventions are now safely available in the Northeast, including right here in Guwahati. These treatments provide not only relief from pain but also restore functionality and improve quality of life.
Unfortunately, a lack of awareness remains a major challenge. Patients, families, and even general physicians often don’t know when to refer someone to a pain specialist. As a result, many patients continue suffering, moving from doctor to doctor, trying painkillers, physiotherapy, and sometimes even unnecessary surgeries. Overuse of painkillers, especially opioids or NSAIDs, can cause serious side effects like kidney dysfunction, liver damage, gastrointestinal bleeding, and dependency.
It is time we start treating pain with the same seriousness as other chronic conditions. Pain leads to sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, job loss, and social isolation. It robs people of joy and productivity. But the good news is, chronic pain can be treated effectively without surgery, if addressed in time by a trained pain specialist.
The Northeast now has qualified interventional pain specialists, yet very few people know about it. We urgently need awareness drives, referral pathways, and inclusion of pain management in government health schemes and insurance coverage. Medical colleges should incorporate pain education in their curriculum to train the next generation of doctors.
As someone born and practising in this region, I strongly urge patients, families, and fellow healthcare providers to recognise that chronic pain is not just “in the mind” or “a part of ageing.” It is real. It is treatable. And help is available—right here, close to home.
Let us break the silence around pain. Let us empower our people with knowledge and access. Let Northeast India no longer suffer in silence.