Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a safe and effective procedure to treat patients with chronic neck pain, lower back pain, and arthritic joint pain. Pain relief after undergoing RFA procedure may last for one year to many years.
This procedure involves the production of radio waves through a small precisely placed hollow needle that can heat the affected area of nerve tissue. Thus, RFA prevents pain signals from sending back to the brain thereby reducing pain in the affected area.
There is a very minor risk of pain, bleeding, or infection at the insertion site. These symptoms will disappear after a few days. Overall, RFA is considered as a safe procedure.
Epidural Steroid Injections
Epidural steroid injections can effectively treat chronic pain caused by a variety of conditions. Pain associated with herniated discs, sciatica, arthritis, spinal stenosis, and other conditions can be relieved by these epidural injections.
This procedure involves the injection of a steroid into the epidural region (area around the spinal cord) to reduce inflammation. The location of the injection allows the nerves causing the pain to be targeted. The injections are usually administered in a series a few weeks apart. You can expect to experience some relief within a few days of the first injection and more relief after the proceeding injections.
Some possible side effects are bleeding from the injection site, soreness at the injection site, or headaches. In most cases, these injections are safe and effective.
Trigger Point Injections
Trigger points are knots of muscle that form when muscles tense up for extended periods of time. There could be pain right around the trigger point as well as referred pain in other parts of the body. The pain occurs when nerves in close proximity to the trigger point are irritated or impinged by it. Trigger points can be caused by disease, emotional factors, or injury to the area among other causes.
Pain caused by a trigger point can be relieved with a direct injection of an anesthetic (sometimes combined with a steroid) using a small needle into the trigger point. You will experience some numbness in the area for a short period of time, and the chronic pain will subside after treatment. Following the injection, the doctor may prescribe medications to get rid of stiffness or soreness.
The complications from trigger point injections could be a minor post-injection pain which resolves itself within a few days.
S.I. Joint Injection
Sacroiliac (SI) joint is present below the spinal cord which connects the spine to the pelvis. This procedure is recommended to diagnose or manage lower back pain, hip pain, or buttock pain arising from SI joints.
SI joint injections are of two types:
- Diagnostic injection: This procedure involves the X-ray guided injection of only local anesthesia into the affected joint. If there is relief in pain, then SI joint could be the cause of pain.
- Therapeutic injection: This procedure involves the X-ray guided injection of local anesthesia and steroid medicine to reduce inflammation and pain from the SI joint.
Although SI injections are safe, the possible minor side effects of this procedure are pain, allergy, bleeding, and infection at the injection site that will get resolved by themselves within a few days.
Facet Nerve blocks
The facet joints are found in the spine to help stabilize the vertebrae and support mobility. Pain in these joints might occur as a result of arthritis, trauma (car accident, fall, etc.), or just due to overuse and aging.
You do not have to live with this pain. We can help you manage this pain with facet nerve blocks.
Nerve blocks are injections given onto or near nerves that are causing chronic pain. The injection consists of a local anesthetic and epinephrine combined with either a steroid or an opioid administered directly into the facet, guided by X-ray technology.
The steroid relieves inflammation while the anesthetic delivers immediate relief from pain by numbing the surrounding area. Thus, a facet injection can lead to more productive sessions, meaning a better level of pain management and recovery. Permanent nerve blocks are available and this is done by selectively destroying nerve tissue.
This procedure is performed only in certain cases. The effects are irreversible and can only be done with certain nerve tissue. Your doctor can evaluate whether your pain can be controlled with this procedure.
The side effects from nerve blocks may include minor pain, itching, or soreness that will get resolved by themselves within a few days. Overall, the risk of experiencing these symptoms from a facet injection is very rare.
Medial Branch Blocks
A medial branch block procedure is similar to facet block procedure, but here, the medication is administered outside the joint space near the medial branch nerve. Usually, this procedure is performed twice. During the first time, a long acting local anesthesia is injected to block the medial nerve. In the second time, a shorter acting local anesthesia is administered.
It is a diagnostic injection used to figure out the cause of pain. However, medial branch block can provide only the short term relief from pain.
Like with other procedures, you may experience a rare risk of infection, bleeding, allergy, or nerve injury. In case the local anesthesia spreads to nearby nerves, there might be numbness or weakness that can remain for few hours.
People with diabetes and fluid retention may experience an elevation in blood sugar level and increased fluid retention respectively for a shorter duration.
However, this medial branch block procedure cannot be performed if you have cold, fever, infection, high blood pressure, and flu. Make sure to inform the doctor in advance if you experience these conditions or taking blood thinners.
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