PATIENT EDUCATION

We perform injections under fluoroscopy on-site. Fluoroscopy is a type of x-ray which allows the provider to watch and guide the needle into the correct position to achieve optimal results.  Injections include a local anesthetic medication, along with a long-lasting steroid. 

An epidural steroid treatment is an injection into the epidural space at the very lower end of the spine, inside the spinal canal but outside the space which contains spinal fluid. This injection is performed to relieve pressure on the nerves coming out of the spinal canal.  The steroid medication is long acting and anti-inflammatory. It can reduce swelling, block pain and promote healing.

A TFE epidural injection is performed by inserting the needle from the side of the spine through the neural foramen. The neural foramen is the opening where a single nerve root exits the spine. The advantage to this method of injection is that it places the medication in the front of the spinal canal, near the intervertebral disc.

A facet block is an injection of a long-lasting steroid into the facet joints.  These joints are located at right and left of each vertebral level of the spine.  This injection is performed to decrease inflammation in the joint space, thereby reducing pain and other symptoms caused by inflammation and irritation of the facet joint.

A sacroiliac joint injection is an injection of long-lasting steroid in the sacroiliac joint(s) to reduce inflammation in the joint.  These joints are located in the back where the lumbosacral spine joins the pelvis.

A trigger point injection may be used to treat pain from knots of muscles that form when muscles do not relax.  These "knots" are called trigger points, sometimes can be felt under the skin, and may irritate the nerves around them which causes pain.

There are various types of joint injections (small, interim and major, depending on the location of the injection.) Joint injections are a non-surgical approach to treating pain by injecting a solution of anesthetic and steroid directly to joint tissue.

Nerve blocks are injections which can be therapeutic or diagnostic.  It is an injection of medication close to a targeted nerve or group of nerves which may provide temporary pain relief.  Therapeutic nerve blocks contain local anesthetic which can be used to control acute pain.  Diagnostic nerve blocks can be used to determine exact sources of pain.

Chemodenervation injections are performed with the goal of temporarily blocking sodium channels within the muscle fiber to diminish muscle spasms and reduce pain.  

The goal of osteopathic manipulative treatment is to enhance the patient's ability to function independently with minimal or no pain, while maintaining this independence through appropriate home exercises, nutrition, and lifestyle. Accordingly, in a chronic pain situation and as long as function is maintained, treatment is generally reduced to a minimum yet reasonable number of visits, but may require a limited set of additional treatments during an episode of exacerbation.

With the patient sitting or lying down on a table, the doctor of osteopathic medicine will gently apply a precise amount of manual pressure in a specific direction. The pressure is applied either directly in the affected areas or at some distance away. It is used to put the tissues at ease (relaxed) or to engage them at their functional limit.

The number of OMT treatments required varies with each patient and condition. While there exist no "hard and fast" rules as to the duration and exact number of treatments required, objective improvement in pain and/or functional abilities should become apparent in as few as five to six consecutive treatments, unless there are prominent complicating factors.