Nerve Root Block
A Nerve Root Block may help you if you suffer from pain or numbness in your back or down your legs.
What are the anticipated benefits?
A Nerve Root Block is a diagnostic procedure that helps define the source of pain more precisely and temporarily decrease it. Pain relief varies from minimal to long-term, depending on the specific symptoms.
You may experience numbness and/or relief from your symptoms for up to six hours after the injection. Your usual symptoms may then return. The steroids usually require 2-3 days to provide pain relief.
How does it work?
A Nerve Root Block typically takes 20-30 minutes. You must have symptoms present for this procedure to be effective.
You will be positioned on a special table in our Diagnostic and Therapeutic Injections (DTI) suite. The C-arm (a special x-ray machine) can be rotated to allow the radiologist to monitor the injection to make sure he is precise in targeting the pain source. In addition, the table can be easily rotated to help the contrast dye move to the area of interest.
One of our specialized radiologists will insert a thin needle containing contrast material into the nerve sheath. He will inject the contrast material to highlight what is happening in your spine. This will ensure correct placement of the needle for the procedure.
Then, he will slowly release a combination of anti-inflammatory (steroid) and anesthetic (numbing) medications to relieve the pain.
Are there any risks or negative side affects?
Complication rates with Nerve Root Blocks are very low.
As with all injection procedures, the contrast dye contains iodine, so patients with a known allergy to iodine may have an adverse reaction. However, because the contrast is injected into a joint and not a vein, allergic reactions are rare.
The steroid medications used to treat the pain may cause facial flushing, occasional low-grade fevers, hiccups, insomnia, headaches, water retention, increased appetite, increased heart rate, and abdominal cramping or bloating. These side effects are bothersome in only about 5% of patients and commonly disappear within 1-3 days after the injection.
Women should always inform their physician or CDI technologist if there is any possibility that they are pregnant or breast feeding.