WHAT IS A SPINAL INJECTION?
A spinal injection is a procedure designed to alleviate your pain and is performed under x-ray guidance known as fluoroscopy; enabling the physician to see your spinal structures promoting accurate needle placement for optimal results and reduction of complications. Published reports have shown that blind injections (without the use of fluoroscopy) deposit medication in the wrong place 25%-40% of the time.
For most procedures, you will lie face down on a table. The area to be injected is cleaned with a sterile solution. Once the doctor sees the view she or he wants, you will have a small mark placed on the area to be injected. You will then receive numbing medication. This part may hurt a little, but it is brief. After that, you should not feel any sharp pain. You may feel pressure, but this is not painful.
When the needle appears to be in the correct position, CONTRAST is then injected to verify location. At this point, the needle may need to be adjusted. It is common to have to readjust the needle. Once the final position is verified, then the medicine is injected.
Corticosteroids are usually used for the majority of injections. These medications have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Locally, these medicines can act to reduce inflammation. There are common side effects to steroids that may occur after an injection. These include: increased blood sugars (diabetics must check blood sugar levels for several days after an injection), facial flushing (red face), headache, restlessness, poor sleep, fluid retention.
Why do we do injections?
There are several reasons to perform a spinal injection. The injection may be diagnostic. This will help pin point the location where your pain begins. The injection may be therapeutic. The purpose of a therapeutic injection or procedure is to provide you with temporary pain relief so that you can become involved in a physical therapy program and progress to a more active lifestyle. A daily exercise program helps increase delivery of blood, oxygen and nutrients to all tissues of your body. This helps in the healing process as well as and helps keep tissues healthy to prevent further injury.
What to expect after an injection?
You will most likely have increased pain after your injection. Depending on the procedure the increased pain may last for several days. Pain relief will not be instantaneous. If you are receiving a therapeutic injection, you should expect to have pain relief in 2-5 days.
For most procedures, you will lie face down on a table. The area to be injected is cleaned with a sterile solution. Once the doctor sees the view she or he wants, you will have a small mark placed on the area to be injected. You will then receive numbing medication. This part may hurt a little, but it is brief. After that, you should not feel any sharp pain. You may feel pressure, but this is not painful.
When the needle appears to be in the correct position, CONTRAST is then injected to verify location. At this point, the needle may need to be adjusted. It is common to have to readjust the needle. Once the final position is verified, then the medicine is injected.
Corticosteroids are usually used for the majority of injections. These medications have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Locally, these medicines can act to reduce inflammation. There are common side effects to steroids that may occur after an injection. These include: increased blood sugars (diabetics must check blood sugar levels for several days after an injection), facial flushing (red face), headache, restlessness, poor sleep, fluid retention.
Why do we do injections?
There are several reasons to perform a spinal injection. The injection may be diagnostic. This will help pin point the location where your pain begins. The injection may be therapeutic. The purpose of a therapeutic injection or procedure is to provide you with temporary pain relief so that you can become involved in a physical therapy program and progress to a more active lifestyle. A daily exercise program helps increase delivery of blood, oxygen and nutrients to all tissues of your body. This helps in the healing process as well as and helps keep tissues healthy to prevent further injury.
What to expect after an injection?
You will most likely have increased pain after your injection. Depending on the procedure the increased pain may last for several days. Pain relief will not be instantaneous. If you are receiving a therapeutic injection, you should expect to have pain relief in 2-5 days.