Founder of Anesthesia Pain Care Consultants is examiner for prestigious designation from World Institute of Pain for the sixth time
Ira Fox, MD, founder of South Florida-based Anesthesia Pain Care Consultants, was tapped to test select physicians internationally who are interested in earning their FIPP (Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice) designation. Dr. Fox is one of only a handful of American doctors who are also examiners. He returned from New York City where the most recent rounds of tests were administered. Dr. Fox has traveled worldwide to test candidates’ skill and proficiency.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be an examiner for this designation,” said Dr. Fox, who himself earned his FIPP in August 2003. “This is a rigorous exam, performed on cadavers, that requires physicians to understand the importance of technique, safety and precision for interventional pain care.”
Physicians who practice interventional pain management attack the pain at its site of origination, using injections and minimally invasive procedures to eliminate or reduce the pain. Techniques include epidurals, radio-frequency lesioning, spinal joint injections, and intradiscal procedures. Through the use of fluoroscopy – an X-ray technique to obtain real-time images of the internal structures of a patient – interventional pain physicians can determine the exact location of the pain and eradicate or reduce it from its source.
According to Dr. Fox, the field is a growing one, with more and more techniques and options available. “People who have lived with pain for years are finding relief through interventional pain management, and those who are experiencing new pain are also excited about the possibility of eliminating it before it becomes a long-term issue,” he said.
