What Is a Nerve Block Injection?
A nerve block injection is a pain-relieving treatment during which your doctor injects an anesthetic into a group of nerves to mitigate acute pain. The anesthetic numbs the pain and relieves inflammation. The treatment works by blocking transmission of pain signals to your brain. The injection can also help your doctor diagnose the source of your pain.
A nerve block injection is highly effective, but only works when administered by a trained professional. Visit Dr. Ilana Etelzon, who is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehab/Interventional Pain Management. She offers nerve block injections and other advanced minimally invasive procedures to treat pain.
What Types of Nerve Block Injections Are Available?
Pain specialists like Dr. Etelzon use nerve blocks both for interventional pain management and diagnosis purposes. Common types of nerve block injections include:
Sympathetic Nerve Blocks
Pain specialists like Dr. Etelzon use nerve blocks both for interventional pain management and diagnosis purposes. Common types of nerve block injections include:
Suprascapular Nerve Blocks
This nerve block injection occurs near your suprascapular nerve, which influences feeling in your shoulder. Your doctor uses the shoulder injection to treat chronic shoulder pain caused by shoulder arthritis, a rotator cuff tear and frozen shoulder.
Intercostal Nerve Blocks
Intercostal nerves carry motor and sensory fibers from your thoracic or abdominal wall. Inflammation of these nerves causes severe pain, which can be treated with an intercostal nerve block under a rib.
Occipital Nerve Blocks
A nerve block injection in the back of your head treats chronic headaches. The injection targets the occipital nerve near the base of your skull in the back of your neck. It relieves painful conditions such as chronic tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches, occipital neuralgia and migraine headaches.
Iliohypogastric Nerve Blocks
The iliohypogastric nerve supplies feeling to your lower back, pelvis, inner thighs and groin. This nerve block interrupts transmission of pain signals from the area, relieving hip, abdomen or leg pain.
Pudendal Nerve Blocks
The pudendal nerve supplies sensation to the pelvic region. Patient with chronic pain in the pelvic region may experience benefit from this procedure. By blocking this nerve, helps interrupt transmission of pain from the pelvic area.
Etelzon administers effective nerve block injections in different parts of your body. Not everyone or every condition is suitable for a nerve block injection, so consult an expert pain management doctor.
The procedure for a nerve block varies, depending where the targeted nerve is. The general steps in a nerve block injection include:
A consultation with your pain doctor
The injection of the pain-relieving medication using fluoroscopy to guide the needle to the correct location
Post-injection recovery
You can expect some soreness at the injection site, but pain relief is immediate. If you have persistent pain in any part of your body, talk to a pain management expert. Your pain doctor carries out tests to determine if you’re a good candidate for a nerve block. You may instead be a good candidate for radiofrequency ablation for long-term pain relief.
Pain management specialists use nerve block injections to treat a number of pain-causing conditions. Benefits of a nerve block treatment include:
A nerve block injection delivers pain relief to conditions in your hips, knee, spine, neck, arms, legs and head.
A nerve block injection targets the source of your pain, effectively masking it.
Fast pain relief. A nerve block injection works fast by disabling pain signals from nerves in a specific body region. The pain relief is immediate and long-lasting.
Non-invasive pain treatment. Treatment through a nerve block injection is a minimally invasive procedure.
Improved quality of life. Causing no downtime, a nerve block helps you overcome chronic pain to lead a fuller life.
At the New York City pain practice of Dr. Etelzon, the pain specialist offers advanced solutions to treat your pain. Contact this pain management doctor today for lasting pain relief.