Selective Nerve Blocks Specialist
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Southeast Spine Care & Pain Management
Interventional Pain Management Specialists & Spine Specialists located in Savannah, GA
To effectively treat nerve pain in your back, it’s crucial to find out which nerves are causing the problem. Ortelio Bosch, MD, and his team at Southeast Spine Care & Pain Management in Savannah, Georgia, use selective nerve block injections to find the cause of painful back conditions and treat them. To discover how selective nerve blocks can help with your spinal pain, call Southeast Spine Care & Pain Management today or schedule an appointment online.
Selective Nerve Blocks Q&A
What are selective nerve blocks?
Selective nerve blocks are injections of an anesthetic or an anesthetic-steroid mixture. The injection targets specific spinal nerves as they exit the spine. Southeast Spine Care & Pain Management uses selective nerve block injections to diagnose and treat spinal nerve inflammation.
A diagnostic selective nerve block contains just an anesthetic. This medication completely numbs a specific area so that your doctor can determine which nerves are sending the offending pain signals to your brain.
Selective nerve blocks that also contain a steroid medication like cortisone have a long-lasting anti-inflammatory effect. They offer pain reduction that could continue for weeks, sometimes months.
Why might I need a selective nerve block?
Selective nerve blocks target inflamed nerves. Nerve inflammation can be caused by several spinal conditions that cause tissue or bone in the spine to press on the nerves. These conditions include:
- Herniated discs
- Arthritis
- Bone spurs
- Scoliosis (curvature of the spine)
Treatments like physical therapy, aquatic therapy, and medication are often effective ways to reduce or eliminate back and neck pain caused by conditions like these. However, they don’t work for all patients. If your pain persists, Dr. Bosch might suggest a selective nerve block to find the problem nerve and treat it.
What happens when I have a selective nerve block?
Before giving you the selective nerve block injection, Dr. Bosch cleans your skin at the injection site and applies a numbing cream.
He uses fluoroscopy (a moving X-ray) or ultrasound guidance to guide the needle’s passage. He often injects a small quantity of contrast dye to ensure that the needle is in the right place near the target nerve. The dye also helps Dr. Bosch avoid injecting medication into a blood vessel.
He injects the anesthetic or anesthetic-steroid mixture when the needle is in position. If you have a diagnostic selective nerve block, he’ll ask you if your pain fades when the injection takes effect. This information confirms the source of your pain. If necessary, he can do several selective nerve blocks if more than one nerve is causing pain.
To find out more about selective nerve blocks and how they could help with your chronic pain, contact Southeast Spine Care & Pain Management. Call their office today to schedule a consultation or use the online form to book an appointment.
