Osteoarthritis, facet joint syndrome, and sacroiliitis are among the common causes of joint pain and stiffness in the spine. Regardless of which of these is causing your back pain, you want to know how to get rid of it without having to rely on pain medications.
Spine injections have been proven to be a great alternative to medications. They provide effective relief by suppressing pain signals along the neural pathways in your spine from traveling to your brain. Spine injections contain a combination of anesthesia and corticosteroid, the latter of which essentially mimics the effect of cortisone, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that is responsible for suppressing inflammation in the body. Spine injections are named according to the specific location in the spine into which they are injected.
Below are the different types of spine injections. Talk to your pain management doctor to see which of these is appropriate for you:
Facet Joint Injections
This type of spine injection is administered into and around the facet joints, which are the small joints situated between each vertebra.
Facet joint injections are commonly used for back pain caused by injury or arthritic conditions affecting the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions of the spine (neck, middle back, and lower back).
When administered properly, facet joint injections boast a 75-percent success rate.
Sacroiliac Joint Injections
This type of treatment involves your pain management doctor injecting the medication into the capsule of the joint that links your pelvis to your lower spine (sacroiliac joint). A joint capsule is a sac-like envelope that surrounds a joint and encloses its cavity.
Sacroiliac joint injections are used for treating pain in the lower back due to sacroiliitis (inflammation of one or both of sacroiliac joints).
While sacroiliac joint injections do not provide a cure for sacroiliitis, they can provide long-lasting pain relief, especially when administered repeatedly (up to three times in a year).
Epidural Injections
An epidural injection is administered into the epidural space—the fat-filled area outside of the membrane that protects the spinal cord.
This treatment has been shown to provide effective relief for pain in the thoracic and lumbar regions caused by spinal arthritis, bulging discs, pinched nerve/s, and related conditions.
On average, pain relief from epidural shots lasts approximately three months. In some cases, epidural shots can even reverse your back pain: the steroid component in them can promote nerve regeneration.
Your pain management doctor will administer any of these injections using image guidance (fluoroscopy, a special type of X-ray) to ensure optimal precision and your safety as well as effective relief. The procedure takes under half an hour, and you can notice significant symptom improvement right after your session.
Spine Injections in Naples, FL
At North Naples Surgery Center, we have highly skilled anesthesiologists on our team, who can carefully assess your condition to determine if spine injections are the right option for your back pain. If spine injections are not suitable for you, we can recommend other effective options to get you feeling your best and moving freely again.
Please call us at (239) 529-2811 for a consultation with one of our providers. We look forward to meeting with you soon to discuss how we can help!
