Nerve Injections

Nerve injections may be used as a diagnostic tool and a pain treatment. A nerve block injection involves the use of an anesthetic to numb a specific nerve or bundle of nerves. They are used to determine if the nerve or nerve bundle is the actual source of the pain. If a patient receives the nerve injection and feels no relief in pain, the nerve is determined to not be the source of the pain.

There are many different types of nerve injections used to both diagnose and treat patients. Selective nerve root injections are injections of a small amount of anesthetics into a specific nerve root of the spinal cord. This may be done in the neck, chest, and low back area to both diagnose and treat pain.

Radial nerve injections need only a small amount of anesthetic and may be done using ultrasound guidance or anatomically. During this procedure the patient is laying on their back with the arm out and wrist palm side up.

Femoral nerve injections are guided by either ultrasound or nerve stimulation, the quadriceps muscle twitches if the femoral nerve is stimulated. Femoral nerve injections may be single-shot injections or, for more permanent relief, a perineural catheter femoral block, both procedures are the same.

Sympathetic Injections

Sympathetic injections are used to treat and diagnose sympathetic pain. The sympathetic nervous system is a relationship of nerves throughout the entire body originating from the spine. This collection of nerves effects many bodily functions such as blood pressure and urination.

There are two main ganglions, bundles of nerves, associated with the sympathetic nervous system. The stellate ganglion is responsible for the upper body while the sympathetic ganglion is associated with the lower body. Irritation and damage to the ganglion may result in pain such as headaches and neck pain.

During the procedure, the patient is giving a local anesthetic around the area where the needle will be inserted. X-ray guidance is used to guide the needle to the ganglion where an anesthetic is injected.