When pain from a recent injury isn't easing, the need for relief can be overwhelming. If first treatment approaches aren't working, Bart Gatz, MD, and the team at American Interventional Pain Institute in Greenacres, Florida, offer injections that reduce pain and inflammation. Call 561-641-0089 to request a consultation.
Why injections are used in pain management
Injections can relieve pain, and in some cases they help make a diagnosis. A nerve block, for example, can pinpoint exactly where pain is coming from when imaging tests alone don't make it clear. The same kind of injection can also relieve chronic pain.
Besides delivering anesthetics to numb pain and corticosteroids to reduce inflammation, injections are part of more advanced long-term treatments such as radiofrequency ablation and spinal cord stimulation.
Types of injections we use
Nerve blocks usually combine an anesthetic and a corticosteroid. They're one of the most frequently used injections because they give effective temporary relief. Other common injections include:
Facet joint injections
Facet joints are the small joints along each vertebra. Facet joint injections reduce pain right away, and the effect usually lasts a long time.
Epidurals
Epidurals are one of the best-known injections for back and lower-body pain, and are especially useful for pain caused by damaged nerves or inflammation.
Trigger point injections
Trigger points are knots of muscle so tight you can feel them under the skin. They irritate nearby nerves and cause pain elsewhere, which these injections help reduce.
Caudal steroid injections
Caudal injections target the lowest part of the epidural space in your back. They help relieve pain from sciatica, herniated discs and bone spurs.
Sympathetic nerve blocks
A sympathetic nerve block works on the sympathetic nerves, which control the body's automatic functions.
Stellate ganglion blocks
A type of sympathetic nerve block. The stellate ganglion is a bundle of nerves often involved in head, neck, arm and chest pain.
Celiac plexus injections
The celiac plexus is a bundle of nerves around the main artery in the abdomen. These injections can help with persistent abdominal pain.