Pain Medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of painful disorders. Making a diagnosis involves clinical assessment, radiological investigation, blood tests and provocation testing.
Pain and its associated symptoms may arise from a single cause, such as postoperative pain. Pain can also constitute the primary problem, such as neuropathic (nervous system) pains or headaches.
The range of activity available at the hospital includes the management and treatment of the following:
Access to Service:
An e- referral from a GP / Consultant will be required for each patient attending the selected consultant. Please ensure an e-referral is sent via healthlink - we no longer accept fax or postal referrals.
Dr Brendan Conroy is a Consultant Anaesthetist and Pain Specialist who completed his specialist training in St James’s Hospital Dublin, Beaumont Hospital Dublin, Mater Misericordia Hospital Dublin, Cork Regional Hospital and St Jame’s Hospital Dublin. He also received training in both Anaesthesia and Pain Management in the US and is board certified in both specialities. His teaching experience includes being an Associate Professor in both Anesthesia and Pain in the University of Texas and he currently holds the position of Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, College of Anaesthesia Ireland.
Dr Conroy’s specialist interests include spinal pain and cancer pain. He has extensive experience in both chronic non-malignant and malignant pain.
Consultant in Pain Management
Dr Foto completed specialist training in Anaesthesia, Intensive care medicine and Pain Management on the Irish National Anaesthesia Training programme. He completed further fellowship training in pain management at St Vincent’s Hospital and Tallaght Hospital in Dublin. Dr Foto is a Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine, College of Anaesthetists of Ireland.
Dr Foto has attended courses in the United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark and other countries to keep his pain management skills up to date as well as evidence based.
Dr Foto has worked in Bon Secours Cork and St Luke’s Hospital in Dublin.
For appointments & queries opening hours are from 10am - 1pm and 2pm - 4pm Mon- Tues- Thurs - Fri
MB, BCh, BAO, MD, BA (Psych), MSc (Phys), MSc (SEPM), FCARCSI, FFPMCAI, FFSEP, Dip Pain Med, Dip Sports Med, Dip ML Law.
Prof Dominic Harmon is a consultant Pain Physician and Adjunct Clinical Professor in the University of Limerick Medical School. He was appointed to University Hospitals Limerick and Bons Secours Hospital, Limerick. He is the academic lead Dept Anaesthesia/Pain Medicine in University Hospital Limerick. He completed his Pain Physician training in the Walton Centre Liverpool, UK.
He has advanced training that optimises pain diagnosis and treatment. This includes Musculoskeletal Medicine (Dip Sports Medicine RCSI)(Fellow Faculty Sports and Exercise Medicine, RCSI), Physiology (MSc/UCD), Rehabilitation (BA Psychology/DCU)(MSc Exercise Performance Psychology/UL) and Pain Intervention (Fellow Faculty of Pain Medicine).
Prof Harmon has a significant ongoing research background. This facilitates continuous learning to optimise diagnosis and pain treatment. He has published four international textbooks in pain medicine. He has an MD research degree and supervises PhD research candidates.
Prof Harmon works closely with General Practitioners, Orthopaedic Surgery, Rheumatology and Sports Medicine to allow rapid diagnosis and appropriate triage of patients. Along with an excellent team of Radiographers, Nurses, Psychologist, Physiotherapists, Music Therapist and support services the Pain intervention service continues to increase the number of patients treated for acute and chronic pain. A Pain Excellence Centre has been developed in Croom hospital under Professor Harmon’s leadership.
Pain diagnosis (comprehensive and not imaging alone).
Minimally invasive spinal intervention for cervical, thoracic, lumber spine pain.
Intra-articular joint injection under direct imaging (fluoroscopy/ultrasound) guidance
Diagnostic MSK Ultrasound
Ultrasound guided ligament, tendon and bursa injection including impingement syndromes
Pain Education Programmes
Pain Rehabilitation Programmes.