Injection therapy is one of the safest, most effective treatments for various types of pain. If you suffer from lower back pain, sciatica, joint pain, tendonitis or other forms of muscle inflammation, injection therapies such as epidurals, steroid injections, facet joint injections, and medial branch blocks can help. Call or schedule an appointment online with Dr. Trisha Patel at Revive Pain Management in Anaheim, California, to learn how injection therapy can relieve your pain.
Injection Therapy Q & A
What are epidural injections?
Epidural injections treat the painful inflammation in the spine, including pain in the lower back, neck, and leg, and sciatica. The injection contains a steroid that reduces inflammation, along with an anesthetic providing immediate pain relief.
Using X-ray guidance, Dr. Patel injects the medication directly into the dural sac, the liquid cushion surrounding the spinal cord. The epidural injection relieves that inflammation, providing relief to compressed nerves. The effect of an epidural injection can last from weeks to a year, depending on the patient.
What is a facet joint injection?
Facet joints are small joints that surround the spinal cord, located in-between each vertebra. They help with stability and flexibility. Facet joint injections treat pain due to inflammation or degeneration of the facets, causing pain in the lower or upper back or neck.
Dr. Patel injects a combination of anesthetic and a steroid directly into the facet, guided by X-ray technology. The anesthetic provides immediate pain relief while the steroid relieves inflammation. Facet joint injections are both a pain treatment and a diagnostic tool. If your pain decreases after the injection, then the facet is confirmed to be the source of your pain.
What is a medial branch nerve block?
While facet joint injections target the actual facet joint, medial branch block injections target the nerves leading to the facet joints. The medial branch nerves connect the facets to muscles in the neck and back.
The medial nerve block injection procedure is similar to that of the facet joint injection. The shot contains an anesthetic and steroid that Dr. Patel injects near the medial nerves using X-ray guidance. If you feel immediate pain relief after the injection, this confirms that the facet is inflamed and pressing on the nerves, causing your pain. Dr. Patel will then determine if other forms of treatment to block your medial branch nerve pain should be considered.
What do steroid injections treat?
Steroid injections can offer relief for inflammation in muscles, joints, tendons, or bursa (located in socket joints). They can also treat rheumatoid arthritis. Steroid injections have very few side effects and can reduce inflammation to the point of recovery, or enable you to begin a physical therapy or exercise plan to improve your condition.
There are a number of injection therapies available to relieve different kinds of spinal, joint, and muscle pain. Call or book an appointment online at Revive Pain Management to get relief as soon as possible.