Therapeutic Services
Cervical Selective Nerve Root Block
A cervical selective nerve root block is an epidural steroid injection used for treating shoulder, upper back, neck, and arm pain. This injection can also determine whether your pain is being caused by disc problems or nerve root inflammation. While MRIs and other imaging tests are helpful in locating the source of pain, they may not be able to identify torn or leaking discs, which can be detected by a cervical selective nerve root block.
A cervical selective nerve root block is performed under local anesthesia; in some cases, an intravenous line may be used as well. Once your skin is numb from the local anesthetic, your doctor will insert a small needle into the epidural space, which protects the spinal cord and its nerves. Fluoroscopy or other imaging technologies may be used to verify that the needle is positioned properly. Once the needle is in the correct place, your epidural space will be injected with an anesthetic and a steroid.
Discography
Discography, or a discogram, is an injection that helps doctors locate a painful disc before performing lumbar fusion surgery in patients whose pain has not responded to conservative treatments. A discogram may be ordered when other diagnostic injections have failed to pinpoint the source of the pain, which may affect the back, legs, groin or hips.
Epidural Steroid Injection
Epidural steroid injections, or ESIs, are a minimally invasive treatment that has been used for decades to temporarily relieve low back and leg pain (sciatica). They have been shown to be effective for pain in the neck (cervical) and mid-spine (thoracic) as well. While they do not treat serious underlying spinal conditions, ESIs are often effective in relieving the chronic pain these conditions often cause.
Comprised of cortisone and a local anesthetic or saline solution, ESIs work by reducing inflammation and flushing out particles that cause swelling and pain. Medication is delivered directly to the source of the pain rather than dispersing it throughout the body, as oral painkillers and steroids do. They are injected into the epidural space, the area between the dura (a membrane covering the brain and spinal cord) and the actual cord itself.
We provide epidural steroid injections in the lumbar and thoracic parts of the spine.
Facet Joint Injections
A facet injection is a minimally invasive treatment option for back pain caused by inflamed facet joints, which may develop from spinal stenosis, sciatica or arthritis, and is characterized by neck, arm, low back or leg pain. Each vertebra has four facet joints that connect it to the vertebra above and below. The injection may also be used for diagnostic purposes.
Facet injections are composed of a combination of long-lasting steroid and a local anesthetic that are injected either into the joint capsule or its surrounding tissue. The steroid reduces inflammation and can relieve pain for a few days to a few years. This treatment can be repeated up to three times a year for those patients who experience successful but short-term pain relief.
Contact our office to learn more about our Therapeutic Services or to schedule an appointment.