When the pain is worse, we are tempted to try almost anything to get some Relieve, including procedures such as nerve blocks or injections. But before jumping into a new procedure, you must understand both the risks and the potential benefits. These types of treatments are usually performed with special imaging techniques, such as live fluoroscopy, and focus on applying local anesthetics and / or cortisone around symptomatic parts of the body, such as irritated nerves.
The idea of doing something on the spot to significantly alter a pain experience is, understandably, a very attractive concept for both patients and doctors; However, if the notion that a special procedure will magically solve all your pain management problems sounds too good to be true, well, that’s because it probably is. But, interventional pain procedures can play a useful role in some cases. Here are some tips to help you decide if it is right for you.
Make it simple: the more widespread your pain, the less likely it is that a specific treatment will relieve everything. For example, epidural steroid injections to reduce inflammation and irritation caused by herniated or bulging discs generally give the best results when pain radiates in a pattern in one leg or arm, unlike the entire body.
Know what to expect: In general, pain procedures, when performed properly, are reasonably likely to provide short-term pain relief. For example, an epidural steroid injection for a sciatica attack can relieve pain reliably over a period of months, but the chances of achieving long-term results are less clear. Many studies find a lack of long-term relief for most nerve blocks and injections, while others suggest that there may be some moderate and lasting benefit.
Keep in mind: with these procedures there are potentially harmful bleeding risks if you take blood thinners. I always have my patients work with their doctor to determine the best time to stop their anticoagulants to minimize the risks. If you have diabetes, cortisone injections can temporarily raise your blood sugar level, so be sure to check your glucose carefully after the procedure and have a plan if it goes up too much.
Don’t be the first in line: avoid being a guinea pig for the last and best procedure that has just reached the market. In my experience, many of these really never turn out to be particularly effective and are often more risky and more expensive. It is possible that the doctor who administered a new treatment just found out during a weekend course in a corpse. Do you really want to be one of his first live cases?
Remember the “hammer law”: as the psychologist Abraham Maslow said, “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Some doctors rely so much on injection treatment that they begin to see it as the answer to each problem, avoiding all other alternative treatment options.
People are complicated: the goal of interventional pain procedures is to attack the source of pain with medications to placate it, but the model of why it hurts can be much more complicated than simply treating the source of the original injury. Continuous pain can lead to a large number of neuromuscular changes from head to toe, where the best results come from a more comprehensive approach that treats the whole person.
Interventional pain procedures are optional, so you should follow that route only if you feel comfortable with the risks, potential benefits, and the doctor and staff that provide the service.
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Tags: Medication, Back Pain, back pain, pain, injection, nerve block, Pain Reliever, Pain Management
