Dr Paul Wilkinson

I intend to undertake a comprehensive, evidence-based Pain Medicine practice focusing on back and neck pain but dealing with all pain problems including neuropathies, urogenital, abdominal and atypical facial pain.

I have undertaken sub-specialist training in pain management to standards approved by Royal College of Anaesthetists as well as overseas training. I am experienced in both medical approaches including invasive procedures as well as multidisciplinary pain management. I am lead for the Royal Victoria and Newcastle General Hospitals acute pain service and have been appointed Medical Director to Newcastle Pain Management programme, a new initiative to help patients with difficult pain problems with future intent to consider early interventions.

Examples of treatments include stimulation analgesia; advanced pharmacotherapy; extensive invasive procedural repertoire including antisympathetic procedures for neuropathic and body axis pain; facet joint injections (all levels), radiofrequency lesioning, transforaminal, sacral, conventional epidurals and simple adhesiolysis for back pain. Trigger point acupuncture and injections and regional analgesia; introduction to broader pain management strategies including pain education, reattribution, behavioural modification and coping strategies. I am committed to improving pain management services both locally and nationally because patients in pain deserve better.

My substantive employment is at Newcastle Pain Management unit, a longstanding, tertiary referral pain centre with the majority of my clinical time occupied in Pain Management.

I am a Regional sub-specialist pain training co-ordinator and tutor, as well as a research grant holder relating to neurophysiological mechanisms and regular lecturer.