Nerve Blocks and Epidural Steroid Injections
Targeting back pain at the source
Interventional radiologists can offer minimally invasive procedures that help target the source of the back pain and treat it locally.
A nerve block is an injection of anti-inflammatory and numbing medication around a nerve, used to “turn off” a pain signal being sent by that specific nerve.
This can not only help pain, but can decrease inflammation of a nerve or allow a damaged nerve time to heal.
A common type of nerve block is a celiac plexus block.
The celiac plexus is a bundle of nerves that carries pain signals from your abdominal organs.
Blocking this nerve is often used to help with internal pain felt by cancer patients or those with chronic pancreatitis.
Epidural steroid injections are often used to treat pain from a pinched nerve caused by a herniated disk.
Controlling back pain caused by a pinched nerve allows the patient to focus on rehabilitation more consistently, which hopefully allows for return to a pain-free lifestyle.
Both nerve blocks and epidural steroid injections are outpatient procedures.
Anesthesia is not typically necessary.
Local anesthetic will be used to numb the skin where the interventional radiologist will be entering the body.