NERVE BLOCKS
What is a Nerve Block?
If you suffer from pain, numbness and tingling please Schedule an appointment with one of our orthopedic specialists as soon as possible.
Pain Specialists often use Nerve blocks for pain treatment and management. Additionally, a bundle of nerves (called a plexus or ganglion) can cause pain to a specific organ or body region. Furthermore, specialists can block these nerve signals with an injection of medication into a specific area. Moreover, doctors call this injection of this nerve-numbing substance a Nerve Block. For some patients, Nerve Blocks can offer a non-surgical solution to issues like Lumbago.
How Are Nerve Blocks Used?
Pain Specialists use different kinds of nerve blocks for different purposes.
- Therapeutic nerve blocks: used to treat painful conditions. Additionally, they contain a local anesthetic used to control acute pain.
- Diagnostic nerve blocks: used to determine sources of pain. hese blocks contain a short-term anesthetic with the purpose of discovering the source of the pain signal by process of elimination.
- Preemptive nerve blocks: used to prevent future pain that may occur from an upcoming procedure.
- Sympathetic nerve block: performed to determine the presence of damage on the sympathetic nerve chain, a network of nerves extending the length of the spine. These nerves control some of the body’s involuntary functions, like controlling the diameter of blood vessels.
- Stellate ganglion block: This type of sympathetic nerve block reveals the existence of damage to the sympathetic nerve chain supplying the head, neck, chest, or arms. Although mainly used as a diagnostic block, the stellate ganglion block may provide relief from pain for an extended period of time.
- Facet joint block: Also known as a zygapophysial joint block, this block determines whether the pain stems from a facet joint. Facet joints sit toward the back of the spine, where each vertebra overlaps with the next. These joints guide and restrict the spine’s movement.