Logo of Dr. Jeremy Tannenbaum, a specialist in pain medicine in Perth, Western Australia

PAIN SPECIALIST SERVICES
Perth, Western Australia

We provide specialist pain medicine assessment and interventional treatments for people living with persistent or complex pain in Perth and across Western Australia.

Our focus is on understanding why pain is occurring, how it affects your daily life, and whether targeted treatments or procedures are likely to help.

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Who This Service Is For

You may benefit from a pain specialist consultation if you have:

  • Chronic lower back or neck pain that has not responded to conservative treatments

  • Migraine

  • Chronic joint pain e.g. shoulder, knee

  • Nerve pain (shooting, burning, or tingling pain)

  • Pain after surgery or injury

  • Pain that has not improved with usual treatments

  • Pain affecting your ability to work or function

What Happens at a Pain Specialist Appointment

Your appointment focuses on a specialist pain assessment, including:

  • A detailed discussion of your pain and other relevant history

  • Review of previous treatments and investigations

  • Understanding how pain affects your daily activities and work

  • Discussion of possible treatment options

Mental health factors are considered when they affect pain or treatment planning. However, ongoing mental healthcare is usually provided by your GP, psychiatrist or psychologist.

  • Interventional Pain Procedures

    Where appropriate, we may recommend targeted pain procedures, such as:

    • Facet joint injections and radiofrequency procedures

    • Nerve or joint injections

    • Epidural injections for disc-related nerve pain

    • Radiofrequency procedures for selected joint and nerve-related pain

    Procedures are offered only when they are likely to be helpful and as part of a broader pain management plan. If a procedure is unlikely to benefit you, this will be discussed openly.

  • Medication and Opioid Review

    We provide advice on pain medications, including:

    • Optimising non-opioid pain relief

    • Reviewing opioid safety and effectiveness

    • Reducing side effects and medication risks

    Psychiatric medications (such as antidepressants) are usually managed by your GP or psychiatrist, with advice provided where pain and mental health treatments overlap.

  • Improving Function and Daily Life

    A key goal of pain treatment is improving function, not just reducing pain.

    We may provide guidance on:

    • Pain neuroscience and psychoeducation

    • Activity pacing and flare-up management

    • Gradual return to work or activities

    • Working with physiotherapists or psychologists for ongoing care

    Psychological therapies are usually provided by external clinicians rather than within this clinic (at this stage).

  • Pain After Injury or Trauma

    Some people experience pain after injury or another traumatic event, where stress or trauma symptoms affect recovery.

    We may assess the contribution of these factors on your experience of pain and treatment choices, working alongside your existing mental health providers. We do not take over care of your mental health during this process.

Specialist pain physician explaining spinal anatomy during a pain consultation, demonstrating an evidence-based, non-surgical approach to complex pain care.

WHAT THIS CLINIC DOES NOT DO

To avoid confusion:

  • We do not provide ongoing general psychiatric care

  • We do not offer long-term psychotherapy

  • We do not take over routine mental health medication management

  • We do not offer procedures that are unlikely to help

  • We do not take over long-term opioid prescribing

  • We do not prescribe any morphine-like or injectable opioids

  • We do not prescribe benzodiazepines

REFERRAL

You will need a referral from your GP or another medical specialist to attend. Referrals for pain assessment, procedures, and second opinions are considered.

More information for referrers is available on the Referrer Information page.

VIEW REFERRER PAGE

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

ABOUT THIS CLINIC

  • This clinic specialises in pain medicine. That means a qualified specialist pain medicine physician assessing and treating persistent or complex pain, and offering targeted pain treatments, including medications, procedures or non-medical recommendations where appropriate.

    The focus is on:

    • Understanding the cause of your pain

    • Improving function and quality of life

    • Helping you decide what treatments are likely to help

  • This is a specialist pain medicine practice.

    We see patients who:

    • Have ongoing pain that has not improved with usual care such as self-management, physiotherapy, GP treatment or other general approaches

    • Are being considered for pain procedures

    • Need a specialist opinion about complex pain problems, treatment options including medications and procedures

  • Yes. You will need a referral from your GP or another medical specialist to attend this clinic and access Medicare rebates.

APPOINTMENTS & ASSESSMENT

  • Your first appointment is a detailed pain assessment. This usually includes:

    • A thorough assessment of your pain history

    • Reviewing previous investigations and treatments

    • Understanding how pain affects your daily life and work

    • Discussing further investigations where necessary

    • Discussing the diagnosis

    • Outlining possible treatment options

    No procedures are undertaken during the first appointment.

    Decisions about all treatments, including but not limited to procedures, are made carefully and in collaboration with you.

  • Yes. Imaging and test results are reviewed in the context of your pain, to help guide treatment decisions.

    Please ensure that you bring all previous scans/reports to your appointment.

  • Mental health factors (such as stress, anxiety, depression, or trauma) may be assessed, if this is requested on the referral, because of their potentially significant effect on pain and recovery.

    However:

    • This clinic does not provide ongoing psychiatric management

    • This clinic does not provide psychotherapy

    • Ongoing mental health treatment is usually managed by your GP, general psychiatrist, and/or psychologist

    We may make recommendations or liaise with your existing treating team if needed, although Dr Tannenbaum is not accepting referrals for long-term psychiatric management.

PAIN PROCEDURES

  • Yes, where appropriate. All recommended treatments, alternatives, goals, benefits and risks will be discussed in detail.

    Procedures may include:

    • Facet joint injections and radiofrequency neurotomies for spinal pain

    • Nerve or joint injections

    • Epidural and other spinal injections

    • Radiofrequency procedures for selected conditions

    Procedures are offered only when they are likely to help and as one element of a broader pain management plan.

  • No. Not everyone benefits from procedures.

    If a procedure is unlikely to help you, this will be explained clearly, and all other options will be discussed.

  • All procedures carry some risk. The risks and benefits are discussed carefully before any procedure is recommended.

MEDICATIONS

  • We will review your pain medications and provide advice about:

    • Optimising pain relief

    • Reducing side effects

    • Improving medication safety

  • Usually, no, at least not directly, because Dr Tannenbaum does not accept patients for long-term psychiatric care.

    Psychiatric medications (such as antidepressants or mood stabilisers) are normally prescribed and managed by your GP or psychiatrist. However, many medications used in psychiatry are also commonly indicated and useful in pain-related disorders due to the interrelated neurobiology and other common factors.


    If pain and mental health treatments overlap, we may discuss this with you and provide written advice to your usual prescriber.

  • Long-term opioid prescribing is not a routine part of this practice. Opioids are reviewed carefully because of their risks and limited long-term benefit for many pain conditions.

FUNCTION, WORK & RECOVERY

  • No. A key goal is improving function, such as:

    • Daily activities

    • Work participation

    • Physical capacity

    Pain reduction is important, but improving how you live with and manage pain is arguably much more important.

  • Yes. We often work alongside:

    • Your GP

    • Physiotherapists

    • Exercise physiologists

    • Psychologists

    • General psychiatrists

    • Rehabilitation providers

    Care is most effective when everyone is working together.

INJURY, TRAUMA & COMPENSATION

  • Yes. We see patients with:

    • Workers’ compensation injuries

    • Motor vehicle accident injuries

    • Other compensable pain conditions

  • Some people experience pain after injury or trauma where stress or trauma symptoms affect recovery.

    We assess how this affects pain and treatment decisions, but ongoing treatment of PTSD or other mental health conditions is usually provided by your GP, psychiatrists or psychologists.

WHAT THIS CLINIC DOES NOT DO

    • Provide ongoing general psychiatric care

    • Offer long-term psychotherapy

    • Take over routine mental health medication management

    • Offer pain procedures that are unlikely to help

    • Take over long-term opioid prescribing or prescribe any typical (morphine-like) or injectable opioids

HOW DO I BOOK

  • Once a referral is received, the clinic will contact you regarding appointment options.

    If you have questions about referrals, your GP can find more information on the Referrer Information page.

Need more information?

If you are unsure whether this clinic is right for you, speak with your GP or referring doctor, who can help guide you, or contact us for more information.