Use of Antidepressants in Pain Medicine

Use of Antidepressants in Pain Medicine Antidepressants -like duloxetine and amitriptyline- are being used to treat nerve pain, fibromyalgia, and migraines – Why? Chronic pain can be overwhelming. Living with it is hard, sometimes unbearable. When pain lasts for months or even years, it can affect sleep, mood, and daily life.  Many people are surprised […]

Adjuvant Thermal Radiofrequency Treatment

Thermal radiofrequency denervation (RFD) is an established, minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of chronic low back pain when it originates from the facet joints. At ISSZ, we regularly perform this treatment, and I would like to briefly explain the indication, prerequisites, procedure, and expected outcomes.

Neuroablative Procedures Briefly Explained

Through targeted ablation, commonly referred to as “nerve cauterization,” pain signal transmission from a specific body region to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) can be interrupted long-term. This requires two positive diagnostic blocks (i.e., preliminary test infiltrations with local anesthetics) as proof of the effectiveness of treating the nerves at that site. Additionally, only nerves that do not carry essential motor functions should be ablated.

Modern imaging in pain medicine cloud based with PACSonWEB

In interventional pain medicine reliable access to imaging procedures such as ultrasound or BV X ray devices is essential. From the very beginning we decided not to store these imaging data locally in a traditional PACS system but to operate them through the cloud solution PACSonWEB by SchenkX.

Lecture activity in the field of pain medicine

Lecture activity in the field of pain medicine The continuous sharing of specialist knowledge and the exchange with colleagues from various medical disciplines are a central part of our work. This year we were again actively involved in medical education and contributed to the ongoing discussion in pain medicine. In February Dr med Jan Ludwigs […]

Facet-related back pain – a common but hard-to-recognise cause

Facet-related back pain – a common but hard-to-recognise cause Back pain is among the most common complaints in our society. One often overlooked cause is facet-related back pain, which originates from the small vertebral joints known as facet joints. These joints can trigger pain as a result of wear and tear, overstrain, or instability – […]

Team – Dr. med. T. Tessmann #NewDoctor #NewPainSpecialist

From June, Dr. Tobias Tessmann will join ISSZ. He already worked as a resident in anesthesiology at Spital Lachen from 2019-2021 together with Dr. J. Ludwigs and was also the first pain fellow to receive specialized pain management training from Dr. Ludwigs.

Certification as an SSIPM Training Centre Pain Clinic B

We recently announced that we would apply for certification as an SSIPM training centre “Pain Clinic B”. We are now very pleased to have received positive feedback from the interdisciplinary committee of the Swiss Society for Interventional Pain Management (SSIPM).

Cooperation with the Institute for Interventional Pain Medicine Zurich AG (IISZ)

Similar to the long-standing, close friendship and professional relationship between Jan Ludwigs and Daniel Friis, the connection between the ISSZ and the Institute for Interventional Pain Medicine Zurich AG – IISZ – can be seen as a close and cooperative partnership between two practices.

Suzetrigin: A Novel Pain Medication in Switzerland

Suzetrigin (brand name: Journavx™) is an innovative, non-opioid analgesic that was approved in January 2025 by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in adults. Developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, it represents the first new class of pain medication in over two decades.