SUMMARY
Sarang S. Koushik, M.D., studies chronic pain, regional anesthesia and interventional approaches to pain control. Dr. Koushik's research centers on improving procedural safety, analgesic effectiveness and functional outcomes for patients with persistent pain or pain after injury. His work addresses conditions including low back pain, lower extremity pain, rib fracture pain, and other acute or chronic pain states that require image-guided or anatomy-based treatment strategies.
Dr. Koushik's research uses cadaveric anatomical studies, clinical evidence synthesis, procedural review and protocol development to refine regional blocks, neuromodulation strategies and interventional pain techniques. He aims to clarify how injected medications are used in newer regional anesthesia approaches to define practical, evidence-based frameworks for choosing appropriate pain management procedures.
Focus areas
- Interventional pain procedures. Dr. Koushik evaluates how image-guided and anatomy-based interventions can improve chronic pain treatment. He focuses on procedural selection, safety and expected clinical benefits so that patients with persistent pain receive treatments matched to their conditions and anatomy.
- Regional anesthesia anatomy. Dr. Koushik studies the anatomical behavior of regional anesthesia techniques such as lumbar erector spinae plane blocks. His work helps define where injected medication travels to guide safer and more effective pain relief procedures.
- Rib fracture analgesia. Dr. Koushik synthesizes evidence on regional anesthesia options for rib fracture pain. He examines how early, effective pain control may reduce breathing complications, improve recovery and lower the risk that acute injury pain becomes chronic.
- Neuromodulation and chronic pain. Dr. Koushik contributes to clinical scholarship on spinal cord stimulation and related neuromodulation strategies. He evaluates how these approaches may help patients whose chronic pain does not respond well to conventional treatments. Dr. Koushik also studies how peripheral neuromodulation, when offered preemptively, can prevent the development of chronic pain states.
Significance to patient care
Dr. Koushik's research helps healthcare teams choose safer and more effective ways to treat pain. Many patients with chronic pain, rib fractures or pain after surgery have trouble returning to daily life. They may have trouble moving or breathing the way they did before their pain started. Dr. Koushik's work helps scientists understand where medicine goes during nerve block procedures and how different treatments may help different patients. This research may lead to better treatment choices, fewer complications, stronger pain relief and faster recovery for people with pain that is difficult to treat.
Professional highlights
- National speaker, Northwest Anesthesia Seminars, 2024-present.
- Visiting professorship, Montefiore Medical Center, 2026.