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Pain Management Specialists for Car Accident Injuries

Dr. Leach, MDreviewed by Dr. Ken Allan

You've been in treatment for weeks. Physical therapy and massage are helping: you can move better, the worst of the muscle spasm has resolved, but the pain hasn't gone away. It's still there when you wake up. It limits what you can do in PT. It's affecting your work, your sleep, your life.

This is where many patients feel stuck. Conservative care has done what it can on its own, and the next step isn't clear. At CCC, it is clear: your managing physician refers you to an interventional pain management specialist who can do something conservative care cannot: identify exactly where your pain is coming from and treat it directly.

Why Interventional Pain Management Matters

Fluoroscopically guided diagnostic procedures are the gold standard and the only tested and validated method for accurate and precise diagnosis of axial spinal pain following motor vehicle crashes (ASIPP 2005; Atluri 2012; Boswell 2003, 2007). This is the clinical foundation for why interventional pain management exists in CCC's treatment model.

MRI cannot make or exclude a facet joint diagnosis. Physical examination cannot either. Many lesions caused by acceleration injuries are undetectable by standard imaging (Datta 2012). Facet joints (the small joints connecting vertebrae, among the most common pain generators after car accidents) often look normal on MRI even when they're the primary pain source.

Diagnostic injection can identify them. If blocking a specific joint eliminates the pain, that joint is the source. The diagnostic precision is unique to this approach. And once the source is identified, targeted therapeutic procedures (epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, regenerative injection) treat it directly.

CCC's Pain Management Network

Injury Solutions / Dr. Kenneth Allan — Greenwood Village

Dr. Kenneth J. Allan is CCC's medical director and the interventional pain specialist who authored the clinical guidelines governing CCC's evidence-based care model. His practice, Injury Solutions, provides the full spectrum of interventional pain diagnosis and treatment: diagnostic facet blocks, ESI, nerve blocks, RF ablation (he co-developed a large-field RF device used worldwide), and regenerative injection therapy.

View Injury Solutions / Dr. Allan provider page →

Denver Diagnostic Pain — Lone Tree

Interventional pain management for north and south metro patients. Diagnostic evaluation and targeted interventional procedures including facet joint blocks, ESI, nerve blocks, and therapeutic injections. Coordinate referrals for metro Denver patients across CCC's Aurora, Lakewood, and Westminster clinic areas.

View Denver Diagnostic Pain provider page →

DDP at Denver Diagnostic ASC — Lakewood

The ambulatory surgery center arm of the Denver Diagnostic network. When interventional procedures require surgical center-level resources (IV sedation, advanced fluoroscopy, operating room protocols), procedures are performed at Denver Diagnostic ASC. Appropriate for complex or multi-level procedures and patients who benefit from sedation capability.

View DDP at Denver Diagnostic ASC provider page →

Premier Spine & Pain Institute — Thornton

Spine-specialized pain management in the north metro. Premier Spine & Pain Institute focuses specifically on spinal pain conditions (facet joint blocks, medial branch blocks, RF ablation, epidural steroid injections, and sacroiliac joint procedures) with the depth of expertise that complex spinal pain requires. Serves north Denver metro patients.

View Premier Spine & Pain Institute provider page →

MD Pain — Colorado Springs

Interventional pain management for southern Colorado patients. MD Pain provides the full range of diagnostic and therapeutic interventional procedures at a Colorado Springs location, keeping pain management care local for patients at CCC's Colorado Springs clinic.

View MD Pain provider page →

When CCC Refers to Pain Management

Referral criteria are evidence-based and consistent across all five CCC clinic locations. Your managing physician refers when:

  • Conservative care has produced improvement but not resolution: the structural pain generator requires targeted treatment
  • Diagnostic precision is needed: identifying the specific source of persistent pain
  • Radicular symptoms require targeted treatment: nerve root compression that hasn't resolved with physical therapy
  • Post-intervention conservative care needs to be augmented: pain preventing full rehabilitation engagement

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

When is pain management recommended after a car accident?
Your managing physician refers to interventional pain management when conservative care is helping but pain is limiting rehabilitation progress, or when diagnostic precision is needed to identify exactly which structure is generating your pain. Referral criteria are based on clinical evidence and your individual response to treatment.
What if my MRI is normal but I still have significant pain?
This is exactly the scenario where interventional pain management is most valuable. MRI cannot make or exclude a facet joint diagnosis, and facet joints are the most common pain generator after car accidents. Fluoroscopically guided diagnostic injections are the only validated method for identifying these pain sources.
Are pain management procedures covered under my auto claim?
Interventional pain procedures for documented auto accident injuries are covered under your MedPay, PIP, or lien arrangement. Your case manager coordinates coverage before any procedure is scheduled.
Which pain management provider will I see?
Your managing physician refers to the network partner that best fits your location and clinical needs. Each pain management provider in the network offers the full diagnostic and therapeutic toolkit; the referral is based on proximity and scheduling, not preference. Metro Denver patients have multiple options; Colorado Springs patients see MD Pain locally.

Ready to start your recovery?

Call (720) 716-4379

A care coordinator will verify your benefits and schedule your first visit. No upfront cost.