Therapeutic Nerve Blocks

What are therapeutic nerve blocks?

A therapeutic nerve block is an injection of medication that relieves acute or chronic pain caused by nerve damage. Once the medication enters your body, it surrounds the nerve endings, reducing inflammation and preventing pain signals from reaching your brain. 

What types of pain can therapeutic nerve blocks treat?

The Centers of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine team uses therapeutic nerve blocks to treat nerve pain caused by:

• Arthritis
• Headaches, including migraines
• Neck pain
• Low back pain
• Sciatic pain
• Spinal stenosis
• Cancer

Sometimes, therapeutic nerve blocks are prescribed to treat pain caused by acute trauma, such as car accidents, work injuries, and sports injuries. 

How do I prepare for a therapeutic nerve block?

Preparing for a therapeutic nerve block is easy. The Centers of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine team recommends fasting six to eight hours before treatment, especially if you’re receiving sedation. Since it takes several hours for the anesthetic to wear off, you also need a friend or family member to drive you home.

What does getting a therapeutic nerve block involve?

Getting a therapeutic nerve block takes 30-45 minutes.

When you arrive at the Centers of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine, your provider has you lie down on an exam table and position your body so they can easily access the injection site.

Next, they administer a mild anesthetic through a vein in your arm, causing you to feel drowsy. After the anesthetic sets in, your provider cleans and sterilizes the skin on the injection site. Then, they use X-ray or ultrasound-guided imaging to locate the nerve or cluster of nerves where the injection needs to go.

Once your provider locates the treatment site, they inject a combination of pain medication and corticosteroids into it. The medication surrounds the nerve endings, relieving inflammation and preventing pain signals from reaching your brain.

After administering the injections, your provider removes the needle and takes you to a recovery room to wait.

Are therapeutic nerve blocks safe?

Therapeutic nerve blocks are safe and present few risks. After treatment, it’s normal to experience redness, mild swelling, and pain at the injection site (or sites), but these symptoms should improve within a day or two. If they continue or worsen, contact your provider immediately.

Call the nearest Center of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine office to schedule a therapeutic nerve block consultation, or book your appointment online today.