Pain Management

Epidural steroid injections are nonsurgical treatments for low back (lumbar) and neck (cervical) pain. During an epidural, medication is injected near the painful area of the spine. Your condition may require a series of cervical or lumbar epidural injections to ease your neck or back pain and inflammation. Learn more about epidural injections for the low back and neck.

Facet joint injections are nonsurgical treatments to relieve pain and inflammation of the facet joints in the spine. Facet joints are located on the top and bottom of each vertebra and connect the vertebrae to form the spine and allow back motion. During a facet injection, medication is injected into the facet joint capsule or surrounding tissue.

Peripheral joint injections are administered within the joints of the shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee. Pain in these joints may be caused by bursitis, tendonitis, or arthritis.

The sacroiliac joints connect the sacrum, which is located at the end of the spine, to the two large pelvic bones (the iliac bones). Sacroiliac joint injections are given to reduce inflammation that is causing pain within the buttocks, thigh, groin, or hip joint.

Trigger point injections are used to treat involved muscles in many areas of the body. Trigger points are tight bands or small areas of a muscle that are sensitive to touch and pressure. The trigger point can irritate surrounding nerves and cause referred pain, a type of pain that radiates to nearby areas. The neck, back, and shoulders are common areas where trigger point injections are administered.

A nerve block places medication directly around a suspected nerve in your spine to help determine if it is the source of pain. If the nerve block relieves the pain, your doctor can proceed with treatment, which may include additional medication injections or surgery.

Another technique that can be performed for the relief of chronic back pain is to implant a small wire called a spinal cord stimulator under the skin. The wire is connected to a power source that transmits low-level electrical impulses to the spinal cord or specific nerves to block pain signals from reaching the brain. Instead of pain, you may feel a mild tingling sensation.

Facet radiofrequency is used to treat nerve pain in the back. The procedure uses heat to create a lesion on the affected nerve, which impairs the nerve’s ability to transmit signals about facet joint pain. Because the nerve is "turned off," pain is not felt. The treatment provides pain relief for about a year but can last much longer for some people.