Concierge pain medicine · UK
Pain management - a specialty, not a prescription pad.
Chronic pain deserves a consultant in pain medicine and a genuinely multidisciplinary plan - medication rationalised, image-guided procedures where they earn their place, and physiotherapy and psychology doing the heavy lifting the evidence says they do.
Why patients choose us
- 01
A consultant in pain medicine leads
Chronic pain is its own specialty. A named consultant pain physician - usually anaesthetics-trained - assesses you, not a menu of injections with your name added.
- 02
Multidisciplinary by design
The evidence is blunt: physiotherapy, psychology and medicine together beat any of them alone. Our pathways are built that way from the first appointment.
- 03
Independent, and free
We are paid by no clinic, so if the honest answer is rehabilitation rather than a procedure - or an opioid taper rather than another prescription - we say so, at no cost to you.
Indicative pricing
What private pain management costs in the UK.
Indicative ranges across our partner pain units. Send the details and we quote firm figures across two or three options, with cover checked.
In short
Radiofrequency denervation in our network: £2,500–£4,500, home the same day.
| Procedure | Indicative range | Typical duration | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain medicine consultation (initial) | £250–£450 | 45–60 min | Same visit |
| Facet joint or nerve root injection (image-guided) | £1,500–£3,000 | 30–60 min | Day-case |
| Epidural steroid injection | £1,800–£3,200 | 30–60 min | Day-case |
| Radiofrequency denervation | £2,500–£4,500 | 45–90 min | Day-case |
| Pain management programme (multidisciplinary course) | £1,500–£4,000 | Weeks | Scheduled course |
| Physiotherapy (per session) | £60–£120 | 30–45 min | Same visit |
| Pain psychology (per session) | £100–£200 | 50–60 min | Same visit |
Prices vary by clinic, by procedure complexity, and by how much multidisciplinary support your plan includes. Diagnostic blocks are always priced before denervation is booked. We come back with a firm quote within one working day.
The problem
Diagnosis before needles, function before pain scores, honesty throughout.
Pain care fails in familiar ways - injections aimed at unproven targets, opioids drifting on for years, and the rehabilitation that actually works never prescribed. We fix all three from the first appointment.
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Prove the target first
A denervation after a positive diagnostic block works; one aimed at a scan finding often does not. We only book clinics that test before they treat.
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Function is the outcome
Sleeping through, walking further, returning to work - plans are measured against life, not a 0–10 score.
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Opioid honesty
Where opioids are not working, we arrange a supported taper - gradual, kind and paired with something better.
The journey
From enquiry to recovery - what happens, in order.
One team from first message through assessment, procedures, rehabilitation and review.
Phase 1 · Before treatment
Assessment and multidisciplinary plan
Phase 2 · On the day
Procedures and rehabilitation
Phase 3 · After
Review, measure, adjust
- 01
Before
You tell us what is going on
A short, confidential form. Where it hurts and for how long, what has been tried - drugs, injections, physio - what the pain stops you doing, and any imaging you have.
- 02
Before
We come back with a recommendation
Within one working day: the right pain consultant for your problem, whether fresh imaging is needed, and an indicative price for the likely pathway.
- 03
Before
A proper pain assessment
A long first appointment - history, examination, medication review, sleep, mood and function - because chronic pain is never just an anatomy question.
- 04
Before
A written multidisciplinary plan
Medication rationalised, physiotherapy targeted, psychology where pain has colonised sleep and mood, and interventions listed only where evidence supports them.
- 05
On the day
Interventions, where they earn their place
Image-guided injections, radiofrequency denervation or nerve blocks as day-cases - diagnostic first where needed, so treatment targets the proven source.
- 06
On the day
Rehabilitation runs alongside
The window a block or denervation opens is used deliberately: graded activity, strengthening and pacing while the pain is turned down.
- 07
After
Review, measure, adjust
Outcomes are measured - function and sleep, not just pain scores. Plans are adjusted, opioids tapered where they are not working, and flare plans written down.
Typical start: 1–2 weeks from enquiry to assessment. Meaningful change: judged over weeks to months, measured in function.
When it helps
When a pain clinic is the right step.
The problems we see most, plus the one red flag that means urgent investigation rather than pain-clinic referral.
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Chronic low back and neck pain
The commonest referral - facet, disc and muscular contributors untangled, with denervation for proven facet pain.
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Sciatica and nerve root pain
Radicular leg or arm pain from a compressed nerve - epidural or root injections can settle it while nature and physio do the repair.
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Neuropathic pain
Burning, shooting, electric pain after shingles, surgery, diabetes or injury - needs neuropathic drugs and specialist thinking, not standard painkillers.
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Complex regional pain syndrome
A limb that stays exquisitely painful, swollen and sensitive after injury - early specialist treatment changes the trajectory.
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Fibromyalgia and widespread pain
Where the volume knob of the nervous system is turned up - programme-based care outperforms any injection, and we are honest about that.
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Joint pain awaiting or unsuitable for surgery
Knee, hip and shoulder pain bridged with genicular blocks, targeted injections and structured rehabilitation.
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Long-term opioid use that is not working
High-dose opioids with little benefit and mounting side effects - a supported, unhurried taper is one of the most valuable things we arrange.
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Red flag: pain with fever, weight loss or new weakness
Back pain with fever, unexplained weight loss, saddle numbness or bladder change is not a pain-clinic problem - it is urgent investigation, today.
Procedure options
The toolkit - used in the right order.
What each element involves - from medication rationalisation and image-guided procedures to the programmes with the strongest evidence of all.
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Medication, rationalised
The right neuropathic agents at the right doses, anti-inflammatories used cleverly, and the drugs that are not working stopped - often the biggest single win.
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Image-guided injections
Facet joint, nerve root, epidural and sacroiliac injections under X-ray or ultrasound - diagnostic clarity and months of relief when the target is right.
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Radiofrequency denervation
For facet pain proven by diagnostic blocks: heat lesioning of the small nerves to the joints, giving 6–24 months of relief, repeatable when it wears off.
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Peripheral nerve blocks and PRF
From occipital blocks for headache to genicular blocks for knee pain - plus pulsed radiofrequency where destruction is not appropriate.
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Physiotherapy with a pain lens
Graded activity, strengthening and pacing - designed around a sensitised nervous system rather than fighting it.
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Pain psychology
CBT and ACT approaches that reduce the grip of pain on sleep, mood and life - with effect sizes injections rarely match in chronic pain.
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Pain management programmes
Structured multi-week programmes combining all of the above - the strongest evidence base in chronic pain, and where complex cases do best.
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Neuromodulation
Spinal cord stimulation for selected neuropathic and post-surgical pain - trialled first, implanted only when the trial genuinely delivers.
Our vetted UK network
A small panel of pain consultants, we picked them.
Consultants in pain medicine with embedded physiotherapy and psychology, across London and the major UK cities. Introductions are made privately, once we understand your case.
Selection criteria
How we choose every pain unit in our network.
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Consultants in pain medicine (FFPMRCA) with theatre access for image-guided procedures
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Physiotherapy and pain psychology embedded in the same pathway, not bolted on
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Diagnostic blocks before denervation - treatment aimed at proven targets only
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Opioid stewardship: honest tapers offered and supported, never just repeat scripts
Safety and recovery
What to expect afterwards - honestly.
Modern pain medicine is safe and evidence-led. The things worth understanding are realistic expectations, the small procedural risks, and the long-term truths about opioids.
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Chronic pain is treatable - cure is the wrong yardstick
The realistic aims are meaningful relief, better sleep and reclaimed function. Clinics promising abolition of long-standing pain deserve suspicion, and we do the suspecting for you.
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Injection risks are low but real
Infection, bleeding and nerve irritation are each well under 1 percent with image guidance. Temporary numbness or weakness after local anaesthetic settles within hours.
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Steroid effects
Facial flushing, sleep disturbance and glucose spikes for a few days are common and benign. Repeated steroid doses are capped deliberately across the year.
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Denervation aftermath
A sunburn-like ache for one to two weeks is normal before the benefit declares itself. Nerves regrow - relief of 6–24 months is the honest expectation, repeatable thereafter.
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Opioids: the risk is the long term
Beyond three months, opioids often add side effects faster than relief - dependence, low hormones, worsening pain sensitivity. Tapering with support usually leaves people feeling better, not worse.
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Red flags at any stage
New saddle numbness, bladder or bowel change, progressive limb weakness, or severe headache after an epidural or spinal injection - emergency review, not the next clinic slot.
Reading your pain clinic letter
Your pain clinic letter in four parts. Read the last one first.
Whether your plan is procedural, pharmacological or programme-based, the letter your consultant sends keeps to the same shape.
A quiet reminder
Pain medicine has its own dialect - nociplastic, radicular, denervation. We translate it for you.
If you would like us to talk you through the letter and what each recommendation means in practice, just ask.
- 01 Header
Diagnosis and pain mechanism
What is actually driving the pain - nociceptive, neuropathic, nociplastic or mixed - because the mechanism, not the scan, chooses the treatment.
- 02 Technique
What was done, and what it showed
Procedures performed with image guidance details, and crucially the response to any diagnostic blocks - the evidence base for what happens next.
- 03 Findings
Medication changes
What was started, adjusted or tapered and why - with the timeline for judging whether each change has earned its keep.
- 04 Impression
The plan, the goals, the flare strategy
Read this first: functional goals, the rehabilitation prescription, the review date, and exactly what to do when a flare hits.
Recognised by major UK insurers
Pain consultations and clinically indicated procedures are usually covered; programme-based and psychology elements vary by policy. We confirm exactly what your policy pays before booking.
Frequently asked
Everything we get asked about pain management.
Quick answers on injections, denervation, opioid tapers, programmes, cost and NHS waits.
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What is a pain management clinic, and who should go?
A specialist service for pain lasting beyond three months - led by consultants in pain medicine and combining medication expertise, image-guided procedures, physiotherapy and psychology. Anyone whose pain persists despite standard treatment, or who is accumulating painkillers without improvement, is a good candidate.
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Do the injections actually work?
For the right target, yes - an epidural can settle sciatica for months, and radiofrequency denervation gives 6–24 months of relief in facet pain proven by diagnostic blocks. Injections into the wrong target do nothing, which is why we insist on diagnosis-first clinics. And for widespread or nociplastic pain, programmes beat needles - we say so plainly.
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What is radiofrequency denervation?
A day-case procedure that heats the small nerves carrying pain from the spinal facet joints, done under X-ray guidance after diagnostic blocks confirm the target. Relief typically lasts 6–24 months, and the procedure can be repeated when the nerves regrow. Expect a sunburn-like ache for a week or two first.
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Will I be pushed off my opioids?
Never pushed - but honestly advised. Long-term opioids help a minority and harm many, and UK guidance now recommends against starting them for chronic primary pain. Where a taper is right, it is gradual, supported, and paired with better alternatives. Most people who complete one report feeling clearer and no worse in pain.
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How much does private pain management cost in the UK?
A consultation is £250–£450. Typical procedures: facet or nerve-root injections £1,500–£3,000, epidurals £1,800–£3,200, radiofrequency denervation £2,500–£4,500. A full multidisciplinary programme runs £1,500–£4,000. Insurers usually cover clinically indicated assessment and procedures. We confirm firm figures within one working day.
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What about NHS pain clinics?
NHS pain services are good but stretched - routine waits of three to twelve months are common, and injection lists longer still. Many patients use private care for the assessment and any procedure, then continue rehabilitation on the NHS or privately. We coordinate across both without fuss.
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Every test and procedure we arrange.
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