Dr. Xiulu Ruan is a board certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist trained in interventional pain management. He is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Infirmary West and Mobile Infirmary Medical Center. He is Co-Medical Director and Director, Clinical Research Physicians' Pain Specialists of Alabama. He received his medical degree from Shandong Medical University and has been in practice for 26 years. Dr. Ruan has 7 Board and Subspecialty Certifications from American Board of Pain Medicine, American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians, American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine, American Board of Addiction Medicine, Subspecialty of Pain Medicine by American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Subspecialty of Neuromuscular Medicine by American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Interventional Pain Practice, World Institute of Pain.

Intraspinal analgesic delivery, through an implanted infusion pump, has been considered one of the most important breakthroughs in pain management over the past 3 decades. The discovery of specific opioid receptors in the spinal cord in 1970s, made it possible for spinal application of opioid, to obtain spinally mediated analgesia. By infusing small amount of opioid directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, in close proximity to the receptor sites in the spinal cord, one is able to achieve the spinally mediated analgesia, sparing some of the side effects caused by systemic opioids. Intraspinal drug delivery therapy i.e., “intrathecal pain pump” has been increasingly utilized since 1980s in patients with intractable, chronic, nonmalignant pain. However, it has been increasingly recognized that intraspinal drug delivery therapy may also be associated with complications and side effects.