Because pain varies in every person and can affect virtually any area of the body, there are many available treatment options including medications, alternative therapies, and exercise.
Interventional pain management uses invasive techniques to interrupt the flow of pain signals. At Specialty Surgical Center, we utilize transforaminal injections and also use the following interventional techniques:
Corticosteroid Injections
This minimally invasive treatment technique applies a corticosteroid and anesthetic mixture into painful joints, such as the ankle, elbow, hip, knee, shoulder, spine, or wrist. These injections help alleviate pain and inflammation in small areas of the body, so they may be recommended to patients who suffer from various types of arthritis, bursitis, or tendonitis. Patients may be given corticosteroid injections every few months to alleviate pain, but generally speaking, physicians will recommend a more long-term solution for pain.
Facet Joint Block
Facet joints allow your back to bend, twist, and move comfortably. When they become inflamed or damaged, the physicians may recommend a facet joint block to alleviate pain and swelling around the affected joint. During the procedure, a physician injects a small amount of anesthetic and steroid medication into the joint(s) to block pain signals traveling through the body.
Medial Branch Block
Medial branch nerves surround the facet joints and carry pain signals from the facet joints to the brain. Similar to a facet joint block, a medial branch block injects an anesthetic and steroid medication into the affected nerves, reducing pain and inflammation. Medial branch blocks are often diagnostic in nature to determine whether a patient will be a candidate for radiofrequency ablation.
Sympathetic Nerve Block
This non-surgical diagnostic injection is used to determine whether a patient will benefit from additional blocks for long-term pain relief. The sympathetic nerves are located on the surface of the spine, and they provide sensation to the legs. During a sympathetic nerve block, a physician uses x-ray guidance to inject an anesthetic medication into damaged sympathetic nerves, relieving pain and inflammation.