When you suffer from back pain, you want relief — fast. That’s why spinal blocks, which were once administered only in hospitals, are now available at Southeastern Spine Institute (SSI) in their fully equipped, in-house suites for your comfort, ease and convenience.
SSI is a spine-only practice, which allows them to offer the most comprehensive diagnosis, approach and treatment for all types of back pain — all in one comfortable, convenient and knowledgeable location. And while you’ll find a full staff of doctors specializing in spinal surgeries, you also find non-surgical treatment rooms and suites.
These non-surgical treatment rooms are equipped with all the advantages of a hospital, with the same qualified specialists, but in a more comfortable setting. Board certified doctors deliver pain medicine directly to where you need it. Injections immediately help with your pain, inflammation and rehabilitation.
What Is a Spinal Block?
A spinal block is a procedure during which a needle is administered into your spine, depositing either a narcotic or anesthetic pain reliever. It’s a non-surgical approach to relieve back or neck pain. The injection delivers fast-acting pain relief.
This procedure could be called a Pain Block. The injections into your spine work because pain signals travel from your extremities and torso into your spinal cord and then up to your brain, where you interpret the signal as pain. If the pain signal is interrupted before it travels the whole way up your spine — then you won’t feel any pain.
Types of Spinal Blocks
Some of the spinal block injections available include:
- Caudal steroid injections are administered into the lowest part of your spine and can help alleviate leg and lower back pain caused by sciatica, herniated discs and bone spurs.
- Celiac plexus blocks are injections of pain medication that can relieve abdominal pain that may be due to cancer or pancreatitis.
- Cervical epidural steroid injections help relieve pain in your neck, shoulders and arms caused by pinched or inflamed nerves in the cervical spine.
- Fascia iliac block is a low-tech alternative for treating femoral nerves in the lumbar region of your spine. The key to this block is that it reaches the nerves that reside under your pelvis.
- Sacroiliac joint injections are injections of a local anesthetic and a steroid medication into the sacroiliac joint to help diagnose and treat pain and inflammation.
- Medial branch blocks send numbing medications to the nerves that are part of the bony framework of your spine.
- Lumbar sympathetic nerve block is a special test to help your doctor find the cause of your symptoms. Your spinal doctor injects anesthesia into a specific area of your spine, effectively blocking the nerves that control your automatic responses to pain or the fear of pain.
- Occipital nerve blocks are aimed at reducing the pain you feel in and around your head. It’s ideal for treating chronic and migraine headaches, as well as certain types of neuralgia.
What to Look Out for
Go to a facility that specializes in these types of procedures and ask your doctor all the pertinent questions. Variables — from what type of health condition you have to the size of the needle used in the procedure — can affect your experience when you choose a spinal block.
When done properly, your spinal specialist uses a fluoroscope that provides live X-ray images as part of your injection procedure. This step ensures that your doctor is administering your injection into the correct location. If you visit SSI, you can count on your doctor doing it right.