The purpose of interventional pain management is to provide relief of painful symptoms originating from irreversible conditions of the spine without ingesting medications that could have adverse side effects. Interventional pain management uses a series of therapeutic injections to very specific areas of the spine to alleviate pain that would otherwise interfere with daily life.
Using the most advanced technologies and corticosteroid solutions, our pain management doctor is able to care for the spine alone, alleviating pain for long periods of time without altering any other area of the body. There are various types of minimally invasive injections useful in treating a range of specifically diagnosed medical conditions.
Radiculopathy
This condition is an irritation or compression of one or more nerve roots in the lumbar spine. Because these nerves travel to the hips, buttocks, legs and feet, an injury in the lumbar spine can cause symptoms in these areas. Sciatica may result from a variety of problems with the bones and tissues of the lumbar spinal column.
Spinal stenosis
Spinal stenosis results from new bone and soft tissue growth on the vertebrae, which reduces the space in the spinal canal. When the nerve roots are pinched, a painful burning, tingling and/or numbing sensation is felt from the lower back down to the legs and sometimes all the way to the feet.
Treatment options:
SACROILIAC JOINT INJECTION
FACET JOINT INJECTION
SELECTIVE NERVE ROOT BLOCK
OTHER INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT INJECTIONS:
- Medial Branch Radiofrequency Ablation – A needle is inserted into the space directly around a targeted nerve branch. Radiofrequency waves are then passed through the needle to interrupt the pain signals the nerve sends to the brain for a long period of time.
- Lumbar Sympathetic Block – A corticosteroid is injected directly into the sympathetic nerves located on either side of the lumbar region of the spine. This provides lower back pain relief.
- Discogram– A dye is injected directly into the cushioning discs between the vertebrae, which will leak into cracks or deformities that could be causing back pain. Multiple discs may be injected to diagnose exactly which ones require treatment.
- Endoscopic Facet Rhizotomy– The medial branch, which transmits pain of facet joints to the brain, is targeted by a needle. The needle is heated until the medial branch is ablated, or unable to send pain signals for a long period of time.
