PAIN MANAGEMENT
The excruciating pain of a pinched nerve, together with symptoms like tingling and muscle weakness, may only go away after the nerve is decompressed with a laminectomy. The physicians at Spinetech have years of experience performing laminectomies, safely and effectively helping patients get the symptom relief they need.
WHAT IS INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT?
Nerves carry a message from wherever pain originates in your body through your spinal cord and to your brain. You only feel the pain after your brain receives and interprets the nerve signals. Interventional pain management specialists use diverse techniques to stop the pain signals from reaching your brain. If your brain doesn’t get the message, you won’t feel the pain.
WHAT TYPES OF INJECTIONS ARE USED DURING INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT?
The pain management specialists at Spinetech have extensive experience administering injections in or around the nerves sending your pain signals. They start by determining which nerves are responsible for your pain, then they perform an image-guided injection, often using real-time X-rays (fluoroscopy) to precisely place the needle at the targeted nerves.
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These are only a few examples of injections used to relieve pain:
STEROID INJECTIONS
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Your doctor at Spinetech may inject steroids into any area of the spine, including the facet joints, nerve roots, and the epidural space surrounding spinal nerves. As the steroids reach irritated nerves, they significantly diminish inflammation and provide pain relief that lasts several days to many months. A local anesthetic is often mixed with the steroids to immediately alleviate your pain.
NERVE ROOT BLOCK
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A nerve block is an injection of an anesthetic on or near the nerve causing your pain. The anesthetic stops the pain by blocking the nerve signals. In some cases, a nerve block may also contain a steroid for longer-lasting relief.
A nerve root block is the same type of injection, but it targets nerve roots in your spine. These bundles of nerves are found at each vertebra, where nerves enter and exit the spine. By injecting the nerve root, your doctor can target multiple nerves.
WHAT IS SPINAL CORD STIMULATION?
Injections are very effective, but they’re not the only type of interventional treatment. Spinal cord stimulation is another example of the unique therapies available at Spinetech. The doctors use this treatment to alleviate debilitating back pain.
Spinal cord stimulators are neuromodulators, which means they safely alter nerve activity using an electrical impulse. Your doctor threads flexible wires along your spine, carefully placing them near pain-causing nerves, then implants a tiny generator under your skin.
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The generator sends mild electrical impulses through the wires to the nerves. The electricity blocks or masks the pain signals traveling along the nerves, preventing them from reaching your brain.
If you suffer from chronic pain, call Spinetech or book an appointment online.