Get Relief with Pain Injections
At Key Clinics, Dr. Siegal performs pain blocks, also called nerve blocks, as a treatment and management solution. For patients who live with chronic or intense pain, these blocks often bring the needed relief. He can also use pain blocks as a precursor for patients who are potential candidates for a permanent spinal cord stimulator implant.
Categories of Pain Injections
The different categories of nerve blocks are based on the cause of the patient's pain. Pain blocks can sometimes help patients avoid surgery and they all serve a distinct purpose.
- Diagnostic Pain Injections - these injections are given to different parts of the body and used to determine and isolate the primary pain generator. These blocks contain a local anesthetic and the duration of pain relief is short and limited.
- Therapeutic Pain Injections - these nerve blocks try to help a patient achieve pain relief for an extended period of time by containing both a local anesthetic and steroids.
Types of Pain Injections
When meeting with Dr. Siegal, a board-certified neurosurgeon with Key Clinics, he will assess the patient’s physical condition, order specific tests, and then determine the type of pain blocks that would offer the most significant amount of relief. The following are some of the options that we offer:
- Epidural - Epidurals help block pain signals, giving patients relief. Based on the area of the spine involved, these blocks have specific names. As an example, a cervical epidural treats the neck region, a thoracic epidural is for the mid-portion of the back, and a lumbar epidural targets pain in the lower back.
- Facet Joint Injection - Referred to as a zygapophysial joint block by medical professionals, Dr. Siegal uses this pain block to determine if a patient’s pain is from the facet joint, located in the lumbar, thoracic, or cervical regions of the spine.
- Sacroiliac(SI) Joint Injection - This pain block can be both diagnostic and therapeutic, helping to determine if a patient’s pain is from the SI Joint, where the spine meets the pelvis.
- Stellate Ganglion Injection - As a type of sympathetic nerve block, this one identifies any damage to the sympathetic nerve chain for the chest, head, arms, and neck. In addition to using this pain block for diagnostic purposes, it can also provide a patient with temporary pain relief.
- Sympathetic Nerve Injection - With this type, Dr. Siegal can determine if a patient has damaged the sympathetic nerve chain, which consists of a grouping of nerves that extend the full length of the spinal cord.
Colleagues of Dr. Siegal’s can perform other blocks if necessary.
At Key Clinics, Dr. Siegal offers many additional pain blocks, such as:
- Brachial Plexus Nerve Injection – Shoulder, arm, and hand
- Celiac Plexus Nerve Injection – Pelvis
- Ophthalmic Nerve Injection – Scalp and eyelids
- Maxillary Nerve Injection – Forehead
- Sphenopalatine Nerve Injection – Nose and palate
- Subarachnoid Nerve Injection – Abdomen
- Trigeminal Nerve Injection – Face
For pain blocks to have a high rate of success, Dr. Siegal uses them to treat pain associated with a single or small group of nerves. If you suffer from pain and nothing seems to help, call us or schedule an appointment online today with Dr. Siegal at Key Clinics.
