• patient selection,
  
• imaging findings,
  
• treatment sequencing,
  
• levels treated,
  
• procedural technique,
  
• ablation duration,
  
• follow-up,
  
• complications, and
  
• barriers to adoption.

Responses will be reported in aggregate to help characterize current practice patterns, identify areas where additional evidence or consensus guidance is needed, and inform future research, best practices, guideline development, and international collaboration. 

Click here to begin the survey.

SURVEY CLOSES: SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

Principal Investigator: Charles A. Odonkor, MD, MA (Yale School of Medicine)
Co-Investigators: Peter Whang, MD; Muhammad Uzair Siddique, MBBS (Yale School of Medicine)

IRB APPROVAL: Waived

The IPSIS Research Division has reviewed and approved the dissemination of this survey. If your research would benefit from information on practice patterns, values, or other issues and opinions from your interventional pain physician peers, click here to review the process for initiating your own IPSIS membership survey.

Access to IPSIS-exclusive research training, tools, and protocols is one of many benefits of Society membership.

• Neuromodulation may reduce pain and opioid use
• Functional improvement remained inconsistent
• Placebo effects and study heterogeneity limit broad conclusions
• Careful patient selection and stronger long-term evidence remain essential

IPSIS members can access an expert summary and critical appraisal from Charles A. Odonkor, MD, and Kathy Chou, DO.

Joining IPSIS and maintaining membership is how pain medicine physicians stay current on what matters to their practices and patients. Don’t just skim the headlines — get the context, the nuance, and the expert analysis. If it’s time to renew, now’s the moment. Contact us for assistance.

PUTTING THIS IN CONTEXT:

• Pain reduction vs. saline observed at 1 year
  
• No clear advantage over corticosteroid injection
• Effects were not consistent across all outcomes
• Study limitations temper confidence in findings
  

IPSIS members can access an expert summary and critical appraisal from Sean Fox, MD, and Carsen Cash, MD —breaking down what clinicians should (and shouldn’t) take from these findings. 

Joining IPSIS and maintaining membership is how pain medicine physicians stay current on what matters to their practices and patients. Don’t just skim the headlines — get the context, the nuance, and the expert analysis. If it’s time to renew, now’s the moment. Contact us for assistance.

• Early outcomes from intra-articular lateral C1-2 joint steroid injections: A retrospective case series
  
  
• Quantitative discometry: Low-dose concordant pain onset identifies sensitized annular nociceptors under pressure–volume–controlled provocation
  
  
• Evaluating prognostic block selection criteria in lumbar medical branch radiofrequency neurotomy: A retrospective cohort study

• A pilot morphometric analysis of lumbar vertebrae to identify fluoroscopic biomarkers
  
  
• Thoracic facet joint innervation: identifying and accessing the articular branch
  
  
• Troubleshooting intrathecal pumps in pain management: A clinical review
  
  
• Basivertebral nerve ablation provides comparable early pain relief in patients with psychiatric conditions: A real-world study
  
  
• Rates of knee arthroplasty after genicular nerve ablation: A retrospective study utilizing a large national database
  
  
• Modified genicular nerve diagnostic blocks for persistent pain post total knee arthroplasty: A case report
  
  
• Access to interventional therapies for cancer pain: An exploratory survey of cancer pain experts

• GLP-1 receptor agonists and conscious sedation

Read the full issue here.

Present your research at the September 23-26, 2026, Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The Call for Abstracts is open through March 31.

IPM, the official journal of the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society, is a Gold Open Access journal indexed on PubMed Central. Article publishing charges (APCs) are currently being waived for accepted research.

IPSIS members are invited to participate in a brief, anonymous survey exploring the clinical use of regenerative therapies for chronic degenerative musculoskeletal pain.

This survey aims to capture real-world practice patterns, including:

• indications,
• procedural approaches,
• outcome assessment,
• perceived effectiveness and safety,
• funding models, and
• barriers to implementation.

We encourage physicians of all specialties who offer regenerative or orthobiologic injectables such as PRP, BMAC, adipose-derived biologics, or related therapies to participate.

Click here to access the survey.

The survey takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete. Your insights will help inform real-world practice and future research in regenerative musculoskeletal care.

Survey closes: June 15, 2026

Principal Investigator:
Abeer Alomari, MD, MSc, University of Toronto
Co-Investigators:
Zachary L. McCormick, MD, University of Utah
Sadiq Bhayani, MD, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Christopher Kim, MD, University of Toronto
Nimish Mittal, MD, University of Toronto
Guilherme Madaleno Ferreira dos Santos, MD, University of Barcelona
David Provenzano, MD, Pain Diagnostics and Interventional Care
David J. “D.J.” Kennedy, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Anuj Bhatia, MD, MBBS, FRCPC, FRCA, University of Toronto

The IPSIS Research Division has reviewed and approved the dissemination of this survey. If your research would benefit from information on practice patterns, values, or other issues and opinions from your interventional pain physician peers, click here to review the process for initiating your own IPSIS membership survey.

Access to IPSIS-exclusive research training, tools, and protocols is one of many benefits of Society membership.

Does basivertebral nerve (BVN) ablation increase lumbar compression fracture risk? The newest IPSIS Research Spotlight 🔒 examines a large-database study exploring this important safety question.

WHY THESE INSIGHTS MATTER:

• Data from 2,300+ BVN ablation patients
• Fracture risk comparisons in patients with vs. without osteopenia/osteoporosis

IPSIS members can access an expert summary and assessment from W. Jeremy Beckworth, MD, and Randall Brewer, MD — experienced clinicians who reviewed the study and break down what matters most.

Joining IPSIS and maintaining membership is how pain medicine physicians stay current on what matters to their practices and patients. Don’t just skim the headlines — get the context, the nuance, and the expert analysis. If it’s time to renew, now’s the moment. Contact us for assistance.

If you want to join a team headed by experienced researchers, IPSIS has a free, members-only class for you!

The IPSIS Research Mentorship Class can provide you with an opportunity for direct mentorship on a team project to see a study through from conception to publication. Through a multisite research project involving 3-4 participants and 2 faculty mentors, the class will foster your interest in research, encourage the development of skills to enable you to conduct your own research studies independently, and provide an opportunity to publish your results.

Interested? Learn more and submit your application by May 31, 2026.

Help sustain this vital research with your donations. The International Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS) is a tax-exempt organization under US section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law.

• Zheng PZ, Miclau T, Goenawan B, Johnson G, O'Neill C, Tamura L, Wu PI, Smuck M. Feasibility of a mobile application to track longitudinal pain outcomes after epidural joint injections. Interv Pain Med. 2025 Nov 29;4(4):100709. doi: 10.1016/j.inpm.2025.100709. PMID: 41431460; PMCID: PMC12718133
• Tran J, Chau E, Calleja M, Leekam R, Loh E. (2026). A pilot morphometric analysis of lumbar vertebrae to identify fluoroscopic biomarkers. Interv Pain Med. 5(1), 100748.

IPSIS has been advancing interventional pain research for decades, investing nearly half a million US dollars in ongoing studies that drive innovation and improve patient care. Click here to discover how IPSIS can partner with you to support and elevate your research journey.

Help sustain this vital research with your donations. The International Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS) is a tax-exempt organization under US section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Could a nondestructive, 60-day percutaneous PNS treatment outperform physician-directed usual care in improving pain, function, and quality of life for patients with refractory chronic low back pain? Read the latest IPSIS members-only Research Spotlight 🔒 from Justin Chau, MD, and Sean Fox, MD, examining this issue.

Joining IPSIS and maintaining membership is how pain medicine physicians stay current on what matters to their practices and patients. Don’t just skim the headlines — get the context, the nuance, and the expert analysis. If it’s time to renew, now’s the moment. Contact us for assistance.

• Persistent Discitis with Epidural Phlegmon in the Setting of Recent Lumbar Interlaminar Epidural Steroid Injection
  
  
• An Uncommon Culprit: Radicular Back Pain in a Young Patient Due to a Retroperitoneal Mass
  
  
• Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Sacroiliac Joint Complex Pain: A Pilot Study
  
  
• Imaging Utilization in Lumbosacral Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections
  
  
• Case of Extradural Discal Cyst Leading to Severe Lumbar Stenosis
  
  
• Emissary Vein Embolization Resolves Chronic Cervical Radiculitis, Refractory Shoulder Pain, and Headaches in an 18-Year-Old Female
  

Read the full issue here.

Present your research at the September 23-26, 2026 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The Call for Abstracts is open through March 31. 

IPM, the official journal of the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society, is a Gold Open Access journal indexed on PubMed Central. Article publishing charges (APCs) are currently being waived for accepted research.

Do patients really need a temporary trial before permanent PNS implantation? Read the latest IPSIS members-only Research Spotlight 🔒 from Abenezer Amare, DO, and John Keel, MD, examining this debated question, clarifying where clinical equipoise remains, and explaining why the study’s conclusions warrant scrutiny and why payers should be cautious in using them to shape coverage decisions.

Joining IPSIS and maintaining membership is how pain medicine physicians stay current on what matters to their practices and patients. Don’t just skim the headlines — get the context, the nuance, and the expert analysis. If it’s time to renew, now’s the moment. Contact us for assistance.

• Multisociety response to the proposed multi-jurisdictional local coverage determination on peripheral nerve blocks and procedures for chronic pain: A critical moment in Healthcare Policy for the United States
  
  
• Distribution of epiphyseal nutrient foramina in the distal femur: Implications for anterior knee joint denervation
  
  
• Feasibility of a mobile application to track longitudinal pain outcomes after epidural joint injections

• Rates of lumbar vertebral body compression fracture after basivertebral nerve ablation: A retrospective study utilizing a large national database
  
  
• Intra-articular cervical facet joint corticosteroid injections in patients with increased peri-facet MRI STIR signal. A prospective, multi-center case series
  
  
• The effectiveness of cervical medial branch radiofrequency ablation using a three-tined electrode: A real-world cross-sectional cohort study
  
  
• The effectiveness of lumbar medial branch radiofrequency ablation using a three-tined electrode: A real-world cross-sectional cohort study
  
  
• Timing and trajectory of pain and functional outcomes after basivertebral nerve ablation: a prospective cohort study
  
  
• Perioperative considerations for spinal cord stimulation devices: A practical guide
  
  
• Comprehensive genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation for refractory knee pain using a dual-tined electrode: A technical description and cross-sectional cohort study

• FACTFINDERS for PATIENT SAFETY: Minimizing complications in radiofrequency neurotomy: Part I—Implantable devices; Part II—Preprocedural BVNRFN imaging

Read the full issue here.

Read 🔒 the latest IPSIS members-only Research Spotlight summary and assessment from Taylor Burnham, DO, MSc, and Ragav Sharma, DO, focused on a pragmatic RCT showing that initiating non-surgical combination therapies during the waiting period for surgery may help delay — or even reduce the need for invasive procedures.

Joining IPSIS and maintaining membership is how pain medicine physicians stay on top of the latest information that matters to their practices and patients. Don’t just get the headlines about clinically relevant updates like this. If it’s time to renew, now’s the moment. Contact us for assistance. 

We are pleased to announce Nuno Ferreira-Silva, MD, MSc is the recipient of the IPSIS 2025 Nikolai Bogduk Young Investigator Grant. Dr. Ferreira-Silva is a Lisbon, Portugal-based physician whose practice integrates non-surgical orthopedics and regenerative medicine to treat chronic pain conditions. He will use the IPSIS funds to explore the efficacy of leukocyte-rich platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of discogenic low back pain.

The Nikolai Bogduk Young Investigator Grant was established in 2017 to honor the continuing legacy of Professor Nikolai Bogduk — founding member of the Society, distinguished teacher, and internationally-lauded writer and researcher of the anatomical basis, validity, and effectiveness of techniques for diagnosising and treating spine pain and headache. The grant provides up to $25,000 for members within 5 years of obtaining their highest degree at the time of grant submission to conduct original research; receive mentorship from the IPSIS Research Division; and enjoy complimentary travel, accommodations, and registration for the IPSIS Annual Meeting where the recipient presents their IPSIS-funded research.

IPSIS research funding exists to help members advance the pain medicine evidence base. Learn about the wide range of other IPSIS member benefits.

Read 🔒 the IPSIS member exclusive summary and assessment of the largest known report regarding the safety of performing cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections (CTFESI) on patients taking antithrombotics.

Check out previous Research Spotlights and learn about all of your IPSIS member benefits and see why you need to maintain your membership to stay on top of the latest information important to your practice and patients.

Read 🔒 the brief, summary and assessment of a retrospective observational study that examined spinal cord stimulation patterns of care, cost to insurers, and rates of unplanned surgical interventions in Australia.

IPSIS NEW RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT SUMMARIES ARE EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE TO IPSIS MEMBERS
Maintain your membership to stay on top of the latest information important to your practice.

Check out previous Research Spotlights and learn about all of your IPSIS member benefits.

Dear Colleague:

We invite you to take just a few minutes (~3 minutes) to share your experiences and perspectives on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in interventional pain practice.

The International Pain and Spine Intervention Society’s Board of Directors has launched an AI Task Force to explore how AI can support and enhance our field. Your anonymous feedback will directly inform the Task Force’s recommendations to the IPSIS Board of Directors.

Please complete the anonymous survey by Monday, October 27th.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IPSIS_AI_Practice

Your input is vital to ensuring this work reflects the needs and insights of practicing physicians. We also encourage you to share this survey with your colleagues so their voices can be heard as well.

Thank you for contributing to this important effort and helping shape the future of AI in interventional pain medicine.

Sincerely,

The IPSIS AI Task Force
Christopher Robinson, MD, PhD, Chair
Ahmed Altaha, MEng
Alexandra Fogarty, MD
Derick Davis, MD
Belinda Duszynski
Giuliano LoBianco, MD
Qing Zhao Ruan, MD
Matthew Smuck, MD

Your donations help sustain IPSIS's efforts to assess evidence and promote best practice recommendations. The International Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS) is a tax exempt organization under US section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Read 🔒 the brief, practice-focused summary and assessment of a recent study where the authors found an absence of benefit from minimally invasive SIJ fusion over a sham operation in a high-quality, non-industry-funded, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

IPSIS NEW RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT SUMMARIES ARE EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE TO IPSIS MEMBERS
Maintain your membership to stay on top of the latest information important to your practice.

Check out previous Research Spotlights and learn about all of your IPSIS member benefits.

• True AP imaging during lumbar medial branch radiofrequency neurotomy: Interobserver reliability
  
  
• Standalone anteroposterior contrast spread pattern is insufficient to distinguish lumbar epidural from extradural spread: A prospective study
  
  
• Rates of complications after cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections for patients with cervical radiculopathy utilizing a large national database

• Safety profile of cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections performed while maintaining anticoagulation, aspirin, or NSAIDs
  
  
• Assessment of real-world, prospective outcomes in patients treated with cervical radiofrequency ablation for chronic pain (RAPID)
  
  
• “Is this injection going to hurt?” Quantifying the pain experience during common lumbosacral spine injections
  
  
• A systematic review of evidence comparing spinal cord stimulation to sham or conservative medical management in the treatment of persistent spinal pain syndrome - Type 2
  
  
• Bone marrow concentrate intradiscal injection for chronic discogenic low back pain: A double-blind randomized sham-controlled trial
  
  
• FactFinders for patient safety: Do epidural steroid injections increase the risk of fracture or lumbar surgical site infection?
  
  
• Safety practices for interventional pain procedures: Disc access/provocation discography, vertebral augmentation, and neurostimulation procedures
  

Read the full issue here.

Read 🔒 the brief, practice-focused summary and assessment of a recent study on rarely-explored pain and functional outcomes in patients with clinical evidence of radicular pain with normal, or near-normal, MRIs.

IPSIS NEW RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT SUMMARIES ARE EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE TO IPSIS MEMBERS
Maintain your membership to stay on top of the latest information important to your practice.

Check out previous Research Spotlights and learn about all of your IPSIS member benefits.

• Multisociety response to The BMJ publications on interventional spine procedures for chronic back and neck pain
  
  
• The effectiveness of fluoroscopically guided lumbar facet steroid joint injections: A systematic review
  
  
• A retrospective single arm cohort study evaluating the efficacy of lumbar medial branch radiofrequency ablation using a multi-tined probe and perpendicular approach

• Assessment of real-world, prospective outcomes in patients treated with lumbar radiofrequency ablation for chronic pain (RAPID)
  
  
• Perspectives on treatment decision-making across racial groups in adults with degenerative lumbar disease – A pilot study
  
  
• Physician compensation rates and gender disparities in interventional spine and pain practices: Insights from a Spine Intervention society survey study
  
  
• Effectiveness of epidural amniotic fluid injection for low back pain
  
  

Read the full issue here.