Interventional Orthopaedics

ESI is a temporary fix to reduce pain, but it does treat the root of symptoms rather than just the symptoms themselves. Some patients experience significant pain reduction for months or even years after an ESI, which gives them time to treat their condition with other non-invasive methods such as physical therapy. 

There are also nerves that exit the spine through facet joints. In some cases, the facet joint nerves can become impinged or inflamed, leading to significant pain. 

During cooled SI radiofrequency ablation treatments, the offending nerves are denatured to essentially deactivate the pain sensation transmissions they send. The procedure may need to be repeated in the future after the nerves regenerate their ability to send pain signals. 

RFA can also be used to treat nerve pain in other joints, such as RFA of the hip or RFA of the knee. 

Sacroiliac joint injections are comprised of a local anesthetic and a steroid. The anesthetic provides initial pain relief, which may last for several hours following the injection. The steroid is intended to provide prolonged pain relief, and usually begins working within one to two days of the injection. 

Trigger point injections are intended to force these knots to relax. These injections often contain a combination of saline, a local anesthetic and a corticosteroid. Once the injection has relaxed the trigger point a patient’s pain should dissipate.  

This degeneration can be caused by wear and tear due to age or an injury. The space between vertebrae begins to shrink as the cartilage is worn away and the intervertebral discs begin to diminish and become compromised. Eventually, the facet joints no longer properly line up with the vertebrae they are supposed to separate. 

If the discs and cartilage continue to break down the vertebrae will eventually grind against one another, causing significant pain due to pinched nerves and leading to the development of bone spurs around the facet joints.  

Facet joint injections shouldn’t be confused with a treatment to address the issue of degraded cartilage or compromised intervertebral discs. Rather, the facet joint injections numb the nerves that can be pinched due to facet joint syndrome. 

These injections not only bring relief, they can also be a valuable diagnostic tool for orthopaedic specialists. If the carefully targeted facet joint injection provides back or neck pain relief, the doctor has successfully identified the exact source of the problem and can develop a more comprehensive treatment plan, such as cervical or lumbar disc replacement, to address the problem at its root. 

It’s important to receive nerve blocks and other spinal injections from physicians who have extensive experience administering these types of injections. The needle needs to penetrate through multiple layers of tissue with pinpoint accuracy to deliver the medication to the precise nerve.