Spinal injections are used in two ways:
· These are used for diagnosing source of back/neck pain
· These are used in a therapeutic way for treatment to relieve pain
With spinal injections being a part of comprehensive treatment program, the associated treatment includes exercise program for improving spinal mobility through stretching exercises and stability through strengthening exercises as prescribed by the Surgeon/therapist.
Procedure –
The procedure of Spinal injection is performed under X-ray guidance technique (fluoroscopy) which helps in confirming correct placement of medication as well as improving the safety standards of the procedure.
Process –
A liquid dye is injected before medication and if this dye does not flow in correct location, needle is repositioned and another dose of dye is injected until correct flow is obtained. Only after ensuring the correct dye flow pattern, the medication is injected.
Spinal Injection – Types
There are many types of Spinal injections that are used for meeting the purpose of providing specific treatment. These include:
Epidural Injections – These are used for treating pain that originates from spinal region and radiates to arm or leg.
Facet Joint Injections – These types of injections are often used to provide relief from pain of middle back, neck or low back pain caused by degenerative/arthritic conditions or due to injuries and are injected in the lumbar spine. Further, this procedure can also be done for both diagnostic as well as therapeutic reasons.
Sacroiliac Joint Injections – The pain in buttock, low back and leg where typically one joint is painful and causes pain on one side of lower body requires Sacroiliac Joint Injections as a treatment means. Further, the joint can also be injected for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Provocation Diskography – These types of spinal injections are done for diagnosis of pain and do not have any pain relieving effects. This form of treatment is used for finding source of longstanding back pain that does not improve even after comprehensive treatment.
Complications –
The procedures followed for Spinal injections are generally safe and even if complications do occur, these are mild and self-limited. Some of the risks involved in spinal injections include:
· Arachnoiditis
· Avascular necrosis
· Muscle weakness
· Spinal headache
· Increased pain
· Nerve injury
· Bleeding
· Infection
· Paralysis
Some of the common side effects from steroids used in Spinal injections include:
· Nausea
· Diarrhoea
· Facial flushing
· Increased appetite
· Increased blood sugar
· Menstrual irregularities
People who are not good candidates for spinal injections are those with:
· Diabetes
· Unstable angina
· Bleeding disorder
· Active systemic infection
· Uncontrolled high blood pressure
· Skin infection at site of needle puncture
· Allergy towards anaesthetics or steroids
Recovery –
Sedatives used in Spinal injections temporarily affect the body’s coordination and reasoning skills. Hence, it is advised that patients should not drive, drink alcohol or undertake any significant activity for 24 hours post procedure.
As the steroids take a few days to work, initially, patients may have feeling of sore back. This will gradually decrease with improvement in back pain and sciatica within few days of the injection procedure being performed.
Potential Benefits - Spinal injections
· As epidural steroid injections help in delivering medication directly to source of pain generation, these are more effective in contrast to oral
steroids/painkillers as these have less-focused impact with possibility of unacceptable side effects
· As majority of pain stems from chemical inflammation, epidural steroid injections assists in controlling local inflammation and at the same time also
flushing out inflammatory proteins and chemicals from local area that may be cause of contributing/exacerbating pain
· These are used for diagnosing source of back/neck pain
· These are used in a therapeutic way for treatment to relieve pain
With spinal injections being a part of comprehensive treatment program, the associated treatment includes exercise program for improving spinal mobility through stretching exercises and stability through strengthening exercises as prescribed by the Surgeon/therapist.
Procedure –
The procedure of Spinal injection is performed under X-ray guidance technique (fluoroscopy) which helps in confirming correct placement of medication as well as improving the safety standards of the procedure.
Process –
A liquid dye is injected before medication and if this dye does not flow in correct location, needle is repositioned and another dose of dye is injected until correct flow is obtained. Only after ensuring the correct dye flow pattern, the medication is injected.
Spinal Injection – Types
There are many types of Spinal injections that are used for meeting the purpose of providing specific treatment. These include:
Epidural Injections – These are used for treating pain that originates from spinal region and radiates to arm or leg.
Facet Joint Injections – These types of injections are often used to provide relief from pain of middle back, neck or low back pain caused by degenerative/arthritic conditions or due to injuries and are injected in the lumbar spine. Further, this procedure can also be done for both diagnostic as well as therapeutic reasons.
Sacroiliac Joint Injections – The pain in buttock, low back and leg where typically one joint is painful and causes pain on one side of lower body requires Sacroiliac Joint Injections as a treatment means. Further, the joint can also be injected for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Provocation Diskography – These types of spinal injections are done for diagnosis of pain and do not have any pain relieving effects. This form of treatment is used for finding source of longstanding back pain that does not improve even after comprehensive treatment.
Complications –
The procedures followed for Spinal injections are generally safe and even if complications do occur, these are mild and self-limited. Some of the risks involved in spinal injections include:
· Arachnoiditis
· Avascular necrosis
· Muscle weakness
· Spinal headache
· Increased pain
· Nerve injury
· Bleeding
· Infection
· Paralysis
Some of the common side effects from steroids used in Spinal injections include:
· Nausea
· Diarrhoea
· Facial flushing
· Increased appetite
· Increased blood sugar
· Menstrual irregularities
People who are not good candidates for spinal injections are those with:
· Diabetes
· Unstable angina
· Bleeding disorder
· Active systemic infection
· Uncontrolled high blood pressure
· Skin infection at site of needle puncture
· Allergy towards anaesthetics or steroids
Recovery –
Sedatives used in Spinal injections temporarily affect the body’s coordination and reasoning skills. Hence, it is advised that patients should not drive, drink alcohol or undertake any significant activity for 24 hours post procedure.
As the steroids take a few days to work, initially, patients may have feeling of sore back. This will gradually decrease with improvement in back pain and sciatica within few days of the injection procedure being performed.
Potential Benefits - Spinal injections
· As epidural steroid injections help in delivering medication directly to source of pain generation, these are more effective in contrast to oral
steroids/painkillers as these have less-focused impact with possibility of unacceptable side effects
· As majority of pain stems from chemical inflammation, epidural steroid injections assists in controlling local inflammation and at the same time also
flushing out inflammatory proteins and chemicals from local area that may be cause of contributing/exacerbating pain