Pain injections may give you more relief than oral pain relievers. Pain injections can direct medications straight to the location where the pain originates, whereas the action of oral pain relievers is diffused.
What Are Spinal Injections?
Spinal injections are delivered into or around the spine. Spinal injections may be superficial injections into painful muscles (trigger point injections), or they can be epidural injections to relieve pain in the neck, back, arms and legs. Facet injections to relieve pain are administered directly into the facet joints that govern neck and back movements. Pain injections can also be used to treat burning pain in the arms and legs.
Injections can be used to treat pain in many different areas of the body. Here are some examples:
- Injections for back pain
- Knee pain injections
- Gel injections for knee pain
- Steroid injections for back pain
- Epidural injections for back pain
- Spinal injections for pain
- Lower back pain injections
- Stem cell injections for back pain
- Hip pain injections
- Neck injections for pain
- Epidural steroid injections for back pain
Can Spinal Injections Relieve Back Pain And Pinched Nerves?
When steroidal and anti-inflammatory medications are taken orally, only small concentrations of these medicines actually reach painful and pinched nerves. However, when spinal injections are administered guided by x-rays, high concentrations of steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs can be delivered precisely to inflamed nerves.
After administering pain injections, inflammation and swelling can rapidly decrease while any irritants and painful chemicals are washed away. One of the best things about spinal injections is that the relief they offer can last for up to 12 months. In the meantime, your body may be able to heal the problem by itself. Pain may reappear, but only when the painful area is irritated or the steroids and anti-inflammatory medications are used up.
What Are Epidural Injections?
Epidural steroid injections can be used to treat back pain and leg pain. Epidural injections are used to deliver anti-inflammatory steroids directly into the epidural area of the spine. Using a local anesthetic, a saline solution can be injected to clear out inflammatory mediators in the painful areas.
To learn whether pain injections could effectively relieve or reduce your chronic pain, contact Dr. Carl Spivak at Executive Spine Surgery in Hackettstown, NJ to schedule a consultation. Dr. Spivak is the President of Executive Spine Surgery and a board-certified neurosurgeon who believes in a minimally invasive approach to treatment and is widely recognized for his state-of-the-art endoscopic spinal techniques.