Persistent Pain Solutions brings together specialists in pain medicine and rehabilitation to provide integrated, coordinated care for people living with persistent pain. Our specialists work alongside one another — and alongside your GP, your other specialists, and allied health professionals — so that every part of your care works toward the same goal: better comfort, better function, and a better quality of life.

Dr Meena Mittal

MBBS (Hons), FANZCA, FFPMANZCA  ·  Specialist Pain Physician & Anaesthetist  ·  Founder

Dr Meena Mittal is the founder of Persistent Pain Solutions and a specialist pain physician and anaesthetist practising across Victoria. She qualified in medicine at the University of Melbourne and completed Fellowships in both Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine at The Alfred Hospital. She has a special interest in neuromodulation, including spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve and field stimulation, and she serves as Vice-President and Director of the Neuromodulation Society of Australia and New Zealand. (Her full profile is on the About page.)

Conditions Dr Mittal treats

Musculoskeletal and spinal pain — chronic low back pain, chronic thoracic back pain, chronic neck pain, cervical dystonia, facet joint pain, myofascial pain, arthritis pain, large joints pain, small joints pain

Neuropathic pain — Sciatica/ Brachialgia pain, post-herpetic neuralgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), peripheral neuropathy pain, peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes, central neuropathic pain, pain after nerve injury, neuropathic pain secondary to complex medical conditions

Headache and facial pain — chronic headaches, migraines, occipital neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, facial pain syndromes

Pelvic, abdominal and visceral pain — chronic pelvic pain, endometriosis pain, chronic abdominal pain, visceral pain (other)

Post-surgical and post-trauma pain — persistent post-surgical pain (PPSP), persistent post-surgical spinal pain (PPSSP), post-trauma or post injury pain

Complex pain from various medical conditions — combination of nociceptive and nociplastic pain

Special interests — pain interventions

Neuromodulation (spinal cord stimulation, peripheral nerve and field stimulation), medial branch blocks and neurotomy, facet joint blocks, sacroiliac joint blocks and denervation, dorsal root ganglion/nerve root blocks and pulsed radiofrequency neurotomy, occipital nerve blocks and pulsed radiofrequency neurotomy, genicular nerve blocks and ablation, suprascapular nerve blocks and ablation, pudendal nerve blocks and ablation, ganglion of impar and sacrococcygeal joint blocks

Dr Mittal also provides

• Interdisciplinary and collaborative chronic pain management combining medication, topical treatment, physical therapy, psychological therapy and pain interventions
• Anaesthesia and perioperative care
• Medicolegal assessments

Consulting locations

• Clyde
• Dandenong
• Hawthorn East
• Malvern East
• Vermont South

Dr Meena Mittal accepts patients under

• Private Health Insurance
• Uninsured patients (depending on the clinical referral)
• WorkCover and third-party insurers
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and Defence Health

Languages spoken

Fluent in Hindi

Dr Jeena Kim

MD, PhD, FAFRM  ·  Rehabilitation Physician  ·  Consulting in Toorak

Dr Jeena Kim is a senior rehabilitation physician with extensive experience in the pain management of complex medical and surgical conditions. She has particular expertise in neurorehabilitation and cares for patients with a wide range of neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. Dr Kim is a Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (Royal Australasian College of Physicians) and practises at Epworth Hospital, where she provides inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services and supports the hospital’s pain management program.

A key area of Dr Kim’s practice is the assessment and management of complex pain conditions — particularly neuropathic, musculoskeletal, and post-surgical pain. She has extensive experience treating peripheral neuropathy, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), nerve injuries, spinal pain, and pain associated with neurological disorders, and her work extends to hip and knee pain as well as upper-limb conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Her diagnostic expertise includes nerve conduction studies (NCS) and electromyography (EMG), which allow accurate assessment of peripheral neuropathies, spinal nerve injuries, radiculopathies, traumatic nerve injuries, and focal nerve entrapment syndromes.

Dr Kim is also an accomplished researcher with international publications in nerve conduction study, chronic pain, CRPS, stroke rehabilitation, brain tumour, cerebral palsy, breast cancer rehabilitation, and other rehabilitation medicine topics, and she is actively involved in education and training in spasticity assessment, botulinum toxin injections, and ultrasound-guided procedures.

Conditions Dr Kim treats

Neuropathic pain

• Peripheral neuropathy pain
• Peripheral nerve entrapment syndromes
• Parkinson’s disease
• Central pain syndrome
• Post-stroke pain
• Cerebral palsy
• Multiple sclerosis
• Spinal cord injury
• Post-herpetic neuralgia
• Pain after nerve injury

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

Musculoskeletal pain

• General musculoskeletal pain, such as neck pain, low back pain, and thoracic back pain due to trauma or degeneration
• Joint pain, such as hip, shoulder, or knee pain due to trauma or arthritis
• Cervical dystonia
• Masseter muscle spasm and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain

Spasticity and spastic pain (for example, hereditary spastic paraplegia)

Post-traumatic injury pain

Post-head-injury pain and headaches

Special interests — rehabilitation medicine

• Neurorehabilitation-related pain management
• Rehabilitation of patients after injury
• Post-surgical rehabilitation (spinal, neurological, breast, and orthopaedic)
• Rehabilitation for musculoskeletal pain — back, neck, lower limb, thoracic back, shoulder, knee, and hip pain
• Inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs at Epworth Hospital
• Reconditioning for pain management
• Cancer rehabilitation

Special interests — diagnostics and pain interventions

• Ultrasound-guided therapeutic injections, including trigger-point injections
• Botulinum toxin therapy for pain and spasticity
• Nerve conduction studies (NCS) and EMG diagnostics for peripheral neuropathy, nerve injury, and entrapment syndromes (for example, carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel)
• Supervision of pain management programs at Epworth Hospital

Consulting locations

Dr Kim consults at our Toorak rooms and welcomes new referrals.

Dr Jeena Kim accepts patients under

• Private Health Insurance
• Uninsured patients (depending on the clinical referral)
• WorkCover and third-party insurers
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)
• Transport Accident Commission (TAC)

Languages spoken

Fluent in Korean

Emel Ahmet

BSc (Melb), GradDipPsych (C.Sturt), GradCertHealthPsych (C.Sturt), PostGradDipPsych (Monash), MPsych (Health) (Monash), MAPS, FAPSCH  ·  Health Psychologist  ·  Consulting via Telehealth

Emel is an experienced Health Psychologist who holds a Masters in Health Psychology from Monash University. She is a Member of the Australian Psychological Society and a Fellow of the APS College of Health Psychologists. Emel has a special interest in working with individuals presenting with psychological factors associated with chronic illness and chronic pain. She is passionate about assisting individuals to cope with their pain and illness and improve their quality of life including their physical and emotional well-being.

Emel has considerable experience in running both individual and group-based pain management programs. She has experience working in various settings including hospitals, rehabilitation settings, pain management clinics, schools and private practice. Emel is regarded as a compassionate and warm clinician and endeavours to provide a warm and safe space for her patients. Emel has an eclectic approach utilising a variety of therapeutic approaches including Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy as well as Mindfulness and Relaxation therapies. She aims to deliver evidence-based, multidisciplinary care for patients with complex presentations.

What is the Role of a Pain Psychologist?

A Pain Psychologist plays a critical role in interdisciplinary chronic pain management by addressing the complex neurological, psychological and behavioural factors that maintain and exacerbate persistent pain. Rather than viewing pain solely through a biomedical lens, a pain psychologist uses the biopsychosocial model to help patients understand pain neurophysiology, reduce central sensitisation and break the fear-avoidance cycle. They target key barriers to recovery—such as pain-related anxiety, kinesiophobia, catastrophic thinking, external locus of control, helplessness, depression and sleep disruption—whilst equipping patients with practical self-management strategies. By shifting the focus from cure to functional restoration and distress reduction, pain psychology empowers patients to regain control, improve daily functioning, and decrease reliance on medical interventions.

Clinical Expertise & Interests

Emel has worked with individuals with a wide range of psychological presentations but her main area of interest and expertise is in Pain Psychology and Women’s Health. She is passionate about assisting adults and older adults presenting with:

• Anxiety (in particular health related anxiety)
• Depression
• Adjustment Disorders
• Sleep Disturbances
• Stress and difficulty coping
• Grief and loss
• Chronic/Persistent Pain and psychological management of pain
• Psychological and self-management of chronic illness (special interest in diabetes)
• Women’s Health (with a special interest in managing endometriosis and pelvic pain)
• Supporting women through the fertility and IVF journey

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science (The University of Melbourne)
• Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Charles Sturt University)
• Graduate Certificate in Health Psychology (Charles Sturt University)
• Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology (Monash University)
• Master of Psychology (Health) (Monash University)

Memberships

• Member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS)
• Fellow of the APS College of Health Psychologists (FAPSCH)
• Member of The Australian Pain Society

Emel Ahmet welcomes the following patients

• Private Health Insurance
• Uninsured patients
• Patients under WorkCover and other third-party insurers
• Patients under TAC and DVA

Consulting locations

Telehealth

To make new referrals

[email protected]
Phone (03) 9875 8226
Fax (03) 9012 4123