Therapeutic Services
Sacroiliac Joint Steroid Injection
Sacroiliac (SI) joint injections help doctors diagnose and relieve lower back pain caused by problems within the sacroiliac joint, which connects the base of the spine (sacrum) to the hip. Steroids, along with a local anesthetic and saline solution, are carefully injected into the SI joint to reduce swelling and pain. As with other spinal blocks, if an SI injection successfully improves discomfort, it may be given up to three times per year.
Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection
A transforaminal injection is a long acting steroid delivered into a nerve root exit in the spine known as a foramen. The injection helps to reduce inflammation and swelling in the spinal cord nerve roots and relieves pain and numbness. A transforaminal injection consists of a small dosage of steroid medication mixed with saline and local anesthesia. The anesthesia numbs the area so the injection often feels like just pinching and pressure.
Immediate pain relief is found because of the injection of anesthesia, but this wears off quickly. Effective relief is usually noticeable by the third day after the injection and can last for several months. This treatment is most successful for patients with pain that radiates through the arms or legs rather than just back or neck pain.
At the Innovative Pain Care Center, we offer transforaminal injections in the cervical, lumbar, and thoracic parts of the spine.
Trigger Point Injections
Trigger point injections are a treatment option for pain in areas that contain trigger points, or knots of muscle that form when muscles do not relax. These points can also irritate nerves around them and therefore cause pain in other areas of the body. A needle containing a local anesthetic (and sometimes a steroid as well) is inserted into the trigger point to make it inactive and therefore alleviate the pain.
The procedure takes just a few minutes and is done in the doctor's office. It is very safe and has minimal side effects. Trigger point injections not only relieve pain, but also loosen the muscles which are causing the pain to therefore help with the rehabilitation process.
Contact our office to learn more about our Therapeutic Services or to schedule an appointment.