Procedures

Below is a non-exhaustive listing of our procedures. Please contact us for more information

 

Physiatric Spine Procedures:

About the Injections

Any muscle in the body can have one or more trigger points. Several injections may be needed in each trigger point to best relieve pain. These injections may be given in sessions 1 to 2 weeks apart. In some cases, you may not feel much change in your symptoms until after the third injection.

What Is a Trigger Point?

A trigger point is very tender to the touch. Pain may also spread to other parts of the affected muscle. Muscles around a knee, shoulder blade, or other bones are prone to trigger points. This is because these muscles are more likely to be injured. To help relieve neck and arm pain, medication is injection into the epidural space. Your doctor may also do a nerve block. During this, medication is injected near a specific nerve root (the part of the nerve that leaves the spinal canal). A nerve block can help your doctor find out which nerve or nerves cause your pain. A lumbar epidural injection won’t stop all low back and leg pain. But it can reduce pain and break the pain cycle. This cycle may begin when pain makes it hard to move. Lack of movement can then slow down the healing. By getting you moving again, the injection can help speed your recovery. Not everyone responds in the same way, though. Some people feel more relief from the injection than others. Also, more than one injection may be needed to get relief.

An injection (called a selective nerve block or a selective epidural) can help locate the source of the pain. It numbs the roots of specific nerves. The effect lasts only briefly. If you feel relief, it may identify the pain source. If you feel no relief, the pain’s source may be at another place in your spine. Or, something other than inflammation may be causing pain. Cortisone is a type of steroid. It can greatly reduce inflammation (swelling, redness, and irritation). Cortisone (or a synthetic steroid) is unlike the steroids some athletes take. It won’t make you gain weight or get bigger muscles. Since it’s injected into and inflamed region and not taken as a pill, little of it goes beyond that region. With oral steroids, side effects can occur throughout the body. But with a steroid inject for local inflammation, you’re not likely to have those side effects.

Medical Branch Nerves

Each vertebra in your spine has facets (flat surfaces). They touch where the vertebrae fit together. This forms a facet joint. Each facet joint has at least two medial branch nerves. They are part of the nerve pathway to and from each facet joint. A facet joint in your back or neck can become inflamed (swollen and irritated). Pain messages may then travel along the nerve pathway from the facet joint to your brain.

Blocking Pain Messages

Medial branch nerves in each facet join send and carry messages about back or nerve pain. Destroying a few of these nerves can keep certain pain messages from reaching the brain. This can help bring you relief. During this procedure, medication is injected into the inflamed facet joint. The medication helps numb the joint, reduce inflammation, and relieve pain. Pain relief from the injection should last for weeks to months.

We also provide the following treatments: