The physicians of Innovative Pain Specialists may recommend one of the following procedures for pain originating from your spine. Our physicians will identify the cause of your pain and treat your pain with targeted techniques, utilizing interventional therapies when indicated in order to minimize the need for systemic medications and/or invasive surgery. Please note: the physicians at Innovative Pain Specialists are highly qualified in their field, and this list of procedures is not meant to be a comprehensive list of the spinal injection procedures that they perform.
Epidural steroid injections can be administered in the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and/or sacral levels of the spine. The epidural space extends from the base of the skull, down the spine and terminating in the sacrum. By administering these injections, the goal is to relieve inflammation and pain so that one may decrease the likelihood for medications and/or surgery. This procedure is usually performed under fluoroscopy, which is real-time x-ray guidance to ensure accuracy and optimal results.
>For more information regarding epidural steroid injections, click here
>For an animated video of the procedure, click here.
Intra-articular: Facet joint injections can be administered in the cervical, thoracic, and/or lumbar levels of the spine. The facet joints are small joints over the posterior aspect of the spine that allow each vertebrae to articulate with an adjacent level. These joints can become painful due to a variety of causes. As with any painful joint, a local anesthetic injection, with or without steroid administered into the joint itself, should alleviate the pain. If the results are only short-lived, then some patients may be a candidate for more long-term relief with radiofrequency ablation. This procedure is performed under fluoroscopy, which is real-time x-ray guidance to ensure accuracy and optimal results.
>For more information regarding intra-articular facet joint injections, click here.
>For an animated video of the procedure, click here.
Medial Branch Blocks: Medial Branch Blocks can be administered in the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral levels of the spine. The facet joints are small joints over the posterior aspect of the spine that allow each vertebrae to articulate with an adjacent level. These joints can become painful due to a variety of causes. The medial branch nerves relay sensation of the facet joints to the brain. Therefore if a facet joint is determined to be painful, a nerve block of the appropriate medial branch nerve should alleviate most, if not all of the pain. If the results are only short-lived, then some patients may be a candidate for more long-term relief with radiofrequency ablation. This procedure is performed under fluoroscopy, which is real-time x-ray guidance to ensure accuracy and optimal results.
>For more information regarding medial branch blocks, click here.
>For an animated video of the procedure, click here.
Sacro-iliac joint injections are injections of local anesthetic with or without steroid placed into the painful joint itself. This procedure is performed under fluoroscopy, which is real-time x-ray guidance to ensure accuracy and optimal results. If the results are only short-lived, then some patients may be a candidate for more long-term relief with radiofrequency ablation.
>For more information regarding sacro-iliac joint injections, click here.
>For an animated video of the procedure, click here.
Coccyx Injections
Coccyx injections are injections of local anesthetic with or without steroid placed in or around the painful joint itself. The coccyx is often referred to as the "tailbone" and this can be painful due to a variety of conditions. This procedure is performed under fluoroscopy, which is real-time x-ray guidance to ensure accuracy and optimal results.
Sympathetic Nerve Blocks
Some patients have a condition where their pain or symptoms originate from a dysfunction of the sympathetic nervous system. Most commonly, we find this in patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), or sometimes referred to as RSD. These injections are injections of local anesthetic with or without steroid administered into the involved area of the spine (cervical, lumbar, sacral, coccygeal). This procedure is performed under fluoroscopy, which is real-time x-ray guidance to ensure accuracy and optimal results.
