Epidural Steroid Injections
For people suffering from intense pain, an epidural steroid injection can relieve pain, tingling, numbness, and other symptoms caused by nerve inflammation, irritation, or swelling. The injection only takes a few minutes and patients feel relief within a few days.
Facet Joint Injections
Facet joint injections are used to treat chronic neck or back pain resulting from thickened or arthritic facet joints. A steroid medication and a local anesthetic are injected into the facet joints, the joints located between the vertebrae. The area is first numbed with a local anesthetic and the placement of the needle is guided by an X-ray machine.
Medial Branch Blocks
Medial Branch Blocks are injections meant to numb or block the medial branch nerves, which carry pain messages from the facet joints and surrounding muscles.
Facet Radiofrequency Denervation
This minimally invasive procedure involves the delivery of a local anesthetic to numb the nerve attached to the damaged joint. The nerve is then heated, or ablated, preventing it from sending pain signals to the brain.
Sacroiliac Joint Injections
The sacroiliac (SI) joints are located at the bottom of the spine on each side of the sacrum. These joints can be a source of lower back pain and/or leg pain. Anesthetic and anti-inflammatory medication are injected into these joints using fluoroscopy dye and X-ray guidance as a diagnostic tool and a treatment for SI joint pain.
Sacroiliac Joint Denervation
The burning or stunning of the lateral branches of the fifth lumbar nerve as well as the first, second, and third sacral nerves using radiofrequency can prevent these nerves from receiving of pain signals from the SI joint. These nerves only receive pain signals and are not involved in movement or function. This procedure can provide pain relief for several months.
Sympathetic Nerve Blocks
Sympathetic nerves are found along the front of the spinal column. As part of the autonomic nervous system, they control bodily functions such as sweating, digestion, heart rate, and blood pressure. These nerves can also transmit pain from an injury, at times even after the injury has healed. Sympathetic nerve blocks involve the injection of a local anesthetic in the area surrounding the sympathetic nerves of the neck or lower back in an effort to turn these pain signals off. This procedure is used both to diagnose and to treat sympathetically mediated pain.
Peripheral Nerve Blocks
Peripheral nerve blocks are used for the management of neuralgia, or pain that originates from nerves. Local anesthetic and a steroid is injected near the injured or damaged nerve to reduce or eliminate the transmission of pain signals.
Peripheral Joint Injections
Swelling or injury in joints such as hips, shoulders, elbows, knees, wrists, ankles and feet may be treatable with a steroid injection into the affected joint. This may help to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and improve range of motion. Relief can last from several weeks to several months, and the injection may be repeated if necessary to provide lasting benefits.
Spinal Cord Stimulation
A device which sends small pulses of electricity is implanted under the skin. Leads that connect to this device are implanted in the epidural space. Small pulses of electricity delivered to the spinal cord interfere with pain signals to the brain.