What are spinal injections?
Spinal injections treat painful tissues in the neck area (cervical), upper and mid-back (thoracic), and lower back and tailbone (lumbosacral). Dr. Fiks uses a combination of patient history, referral information, diagnostic tests, and X-rays to determine whether spinal injections are an appropriate treatment, and if so, what type of injections would work best.
What are the different types of spinal injections?
There are several types of spinal injections, and each performs a different function. Dr. Fiks assesses your condition and pain source to determine whether a spinal injection is the most suitable treatment.
Here’s a closer look at the injections:
Facet joint injections
Each vertebra has two hinge-like facet joints on the backside of the spine. If Dr. Fiks believes a facet joint is the potential source of pain, he can use facet joint injections to confirm the diagnosis and relieve the pain.
Epidural steroid injections
The epidural space is the space outside of the sac of fluid around your spinal cord. An epidural injection places a mixture of a local anesthetic and a steroid into the epidural space to treat inflamed nerve roots.
Medial branch block
A medial branch block is a diagnostic procedure to determine whether a specific facet joint is the source of pain. Dr. Fiks injects an anesthetic into the small medial nerves connected to the facet joint he suspects is causing the issues. Immediate relief confirms the diagnosis.
Sacroiliac (SI) joint injections
The sacroiliac (SI) joints can become unstable and inflamed. Dr. Fiks may recommend localized steroid injections into an SI joint as treatment. These injections provide targeted therapy to reduce pain and inflammation so you can undergo physical therapy.
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
Radiofrequency ablation uses heat from radiofrequency current to help decrease pain signals. Dr. Fiks places a heat-conducting microelectrode in the nerve tissue through injection.
Sympathetic nerve blocks
Sympathetic nerves come together through thick networks of nerves called ganglia. Dr. Fiks blocks the ganglion that correlates to the area of pain by injecting it with an anesthetic.
Who is a suitable candidate for spinal injections?
Dr. Fiks may recommend spinal injections if you have one of the following conditions:
- Herniated disc
- Spinal stenosis
- Osteoarthritis
- Failed back surgery syndrome
- Sciatica
- Spondylolisthesis
The experts at Advanced Pain Management Center are well-versed in prescribing effective pain-relief treatments. Call the practice today to see how they can help you or book using the online scheduling tool.
