Brian Block, MD, PhD
Dr. Brian Block has a longstanding interest in translating scientific discovery to helping people live better lives. As a physician with board certifications in both anesthesiology and interventional pain management, Dr. Block applies cutting edge techniques to alleviate back, neck and chronic knee pain. Every patient is unique, so each needs an individualized approach. Dr. Block applies the most appropriate therapies for his patients, which could include spine, joint or facet injections, nerve ablation, medications or spinal cord stimulation. Dr. Block's goal is to maximize his patients' functioning in all spheres of their lives.
Dr. Block's career started at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He graduated magna cum laude from the college of engineering. He pursued further education in medicine and the nervous system in particular. He earned both PhD and MD degrees from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. He did his medical training with Internship at the MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, residency in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and then Fellowship in Pain Management also at Johns Hopkins. Afterwards he joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins working in the Blaustein Pain Center, teaching, and writing.
Currently, Dr. Block is part of the Maryland Pain Specialists team of providers dedicated to alleviating pain and improving function. He is a member of the North American Spine Society and MedChi. He has been honored by Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society, by AOA, the national medical school honor society and by Baltimore Magazine's "Top Doctors."
Dr. Block's research interests have varied as his career has developed. He has studied and published scholarly articles in exercise physiology, muscle function and biophysical characteristics of nerve cells. Later he focused on pain outcomes both in and out of the operating room. His publications have appeared in places as diverse as The Wall Street Journal, The Journal of the American Medical Association Anesthesiology and The Journal of General Physiology.
Within the practice, Dr. Block has developed special expertise in restorative neurostimulation and spinal cord stimulation, treating athletes with spinal pain and chronic knee pain. Spinal cord stimulation has made great advances in the last 5 years and Dr. Block is one of the few physicians in the region trained in the latest techniques including both DRG stimulation and dorsal column stimulation. It’s a highly technical field. Dr. Block's expertise in biophysics and neuroscience directly translates into understanding the scientific unpinnings of the therapy and better use of the technology. Dr. Block is an endurance athlete himself which gives him insight into both the injuries athletes sustain and their need to return to training. Lastly, patients have chronic knee pain despite knee replacement and other treatments. Dr. Block alleviates the pain using genicular ablation, neurostimulation and platelet rich plasma injections in the appropriate patients.
Outside of work, Dr. Block enjoys training for and participating in races. He races in everything from 5K’s to triathlons, marathons and even one ultramarathon. He also enjoys travel having lived overseas in Singapore in his youth. While there he had the great opportunity to visit Malaysia, Indonesia, Tokyo, Beijing, and Guangzhou.