In-depth information on injections for chronic back pain and neck pain, such as an epidural steroid injection, discogram, and prolotherapy
Prolotherapy for low back pain
January 30, 2007
Several studies of patients with low back pain show benefits from prolotherapy, yet more research is necessary to demonstrate conclusively if and how prolotherapy works to provide relief from low back pain. For now, patients should consider prolotherapy as one of many treatment options available to them. Read more...
By: Simon Dagenais, PhD
Medial
branch nerve blocks
April 25, 2006
For some patients, the source of their back or neck pain may be the facet joints—pairs
of small joints at each vertebral level of the spine. To confirm this source
of pain, a medial branch nerve block may be performed, which temporarily “blocks” pain
signals from a specific facet joint. Read
more...
By: Ray M. Baker, MD
Hip joint injections for pain relief
August
23, 2005
A hip joint injection is a procedure that
involves injecting medicine into the joint located
where the leg and the pelvis join. It may be beneficial
for patients suffering from leg, hip, buttock or
lower back pain that results from arthritis, mechanical
stress or injury to the joint. Read
more…
By:
Ray M. Baker, M.D.
Spinal
arthritis medications
May 25, 2005
Patients with spinal arthritis have several options for medications to control
the pain. Among other factors, the level of the patient’s pain and
the potential side effects of the medication must be considered. Potential
medications for managing spinal arthritis symptoms include: acetaminophen,
topical analgesics, NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors, cortisone injections, and nutritional
supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin. Read
more...
By: Vert Mooney, MD
Radiofrequency neurotomy
for facet and sacroiliac joint pain
December 27, 2004
Radiofrequency neurotomy is a pain management option for certain types of back
pain that uses a heat lesion designed to interrupt the nerve's pain signals to
the brain. This article explains the injection process as well as the expected
results. Read more...
Cervical, thoracic
and lumbar facet joint injections
November 12, 2004
The facet joints can become painful due to arthritis of the spine, a back injury
or mechanical stress to the back. The pain relief from a facet joint injection
is intended to help a patient better tolerate a physical therapy routine to rehabilitate
his or her injury or back condition. Read more...
By: Ray Baker, MD
Costotransverse
and costovertebral joint injections
September 24, 2004
Costotransverse and costovertebral joint injections both involve carefully injecting
medication into the small joints where the ribs join with the spine in the upper
back. The injections are used to both confirm a diagnosis that these joints are
the source of the patient’s upper back pain as well as to provide pain
relief. Read more...
By: Ray Baker, MD
Cervical, thoracic
and lumbar interlaminar epidural injections
September 10, 2004
An epidural injection delivers steroids into the epidural space around spinal
nerve roots to relieve back pain, leg pain, or other pain caused by irritated
spinal nerves. The steroid used in the injection reduces the inflammation of
those nerves, which is often the source of the pain. Read
more...
By: Ray Baker, MD
Vertebroplasty
and kyphoplasty: percutaneous injection procedures
for vertebral fractures
August 13, 2003
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are minimally invasive injection procedures
that may be used in cases of severe pain caused by a vertebral fracture that
does not improve over a number of weeks with pain medication and bracing. Both
vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures involve the injection of cement into
the fractured vertebra through small, minimally invasive incisions. Read
more...
By: Jeffrey M. Spivak, MD
Pain management
techniques
October 24, 2001
One helpful conservative treatment for back pain is injections, which are after
other conservative treatments but before back surgery. Other types of
pain relievers are used at every stage of the medical treatment of back pain,
from the initial onset of acute pain to facilitation of rehabilitation, treatment
of chronic back pain and alleviation of pain in cases of failed back surgery. Read
more…
By: John Revord, MD
Prolotherapy and
chronic back pain
January 25, 2001
Prolotherapy is a non-surgical injection procedure used to treat connective
tissue injuries of the musculoskeletal system that have not healed by either
rest or conservative therapy. This article provides an overview on this injection
procedure and addresses potential risks of prolotherapy. Read
more...
By: Vert Mooney, MD and Bjorn Eek, MD
Lumbar
discography for back pain diagnosis
October 5, 2000
Also called a discogram, lumbar discography is an injection technique used
to evaluate patients with back pain who have not responded to extensive conservative
care regimens.This type of injection – also called a discogram-
is a controversial diagnostic procedure. Read
more...
By: Philip R. Shalen, MD
Epidural
steroid injections
November 1999
(updated August 4, 2000)
An epidural injection is effective in significantly reducing back pain and/or
leg pain for approximately 50% of patients. During the epidural steroid injection,
sometimes a flushing solution is also used to help "flush out" inflammatory
proteins from around the area that may be the source of pain. Read about the
benefits and potential risks of an epidural steroid injection, when it's typically
recommended, and how it's performed. Read
more...
By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD
Discogram to diagnose
low back pain
October 1999
The discogram, or discography, injection procedure is most frequently used to
determine if degenerative disc disease is the cause of a patient’s low
back pain. Discogram injections are also performed to assist in patients who
may have a lumbar spinal fusion surgery. Read
more…
Injections
September 8, 1999 (updated
March 29, 2000)
An injection for low back pain or leg pain is typically considered after other
more conservative treatments (such as medications, physical therapy) but before
surgery. There are five types of injections that are relatively common, including
epidural steroid injections, facet joint block and sacroiliac joint block injections. Read
more…
By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD
Epidural
steroid injections
October 1999
The most commonly performed injection for pain relief in the low back is an
epidural steroid injection. An epidural injection is generally successful
in relieving lower back pain for approximately 50% of patients. While the effects
of an epidural steroid injection tend to be temporary (one week to one year),
an epidural can be very beneficial in providing relief for patients during
an episode of severe back pain. Read
more…
Epidural
steroid injection animated presentation
The epidural injection delivers anti-inflammatory
medicine directly to the affected area of the back
to reduce the inflammation that may be irritating the
nerve root and causing low back pain and/or leg pain
(sciatica). This animation gives you a close look at
the epidural steroid injection, a common procedure
for low back pain relief. View
animation…
Back-to-Back: Chronic back pain management
In this section, patients share their advice and strategies for chronic back pain management, such as emotional support, medications, gentle exercise and injections. The Back-to-Back section helps patients with chronic back pain learn from the experiences of others. Read more...
Chronic pain and pain management – The doctor is in!
April 19, 2005
This section addresses patients’ questions about undergoing facet joint injections and epidural steroid injections for pain management. Answers are provided by Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon and Medical Director for Spine-health.com. Patients’ inquiries on injections for pain relief from back problems were submitted by e-mail, and we’ve posted some common questions and responses here. Read more…
Facet joint and epidural injections – The doctor is in!
April 19, 2005
This section addresses patients’ questions about undergoing facet joint injections and epidural steroid injections for pain management. Answers are provided by Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon and Medical Director for Spine-health.com. Patients’ inquiries on injections for pain relief from back problems were submitted by e-mail, and we’ve posted some common questions and responses here. Read more…
Getting better care for your back pain - Spine-health.com Newsletter
Because pain is a uniquely personal experience and because many back pain treatments (such as injections) don't work the same for all patients even when they have the same diagnosis, there are not that many absolute rules for how to treat back pain. Get better care for your back pain by learning more about the challenges of back pain management and understanding a range of treatment options. Read more…
Getting an accurate back pain diagnosis - Spine-health.com Newsletter
Getting an accurate diagnosis for your back pain from spondylolisthesis and other conditions is critical because different diagnoses will require very different treatment approaches for pain relief. This newsletter helps patients understand confusing terminology, different diagnostic tests (such as injections) and the option of working with an integrated spine clinic for a diagnosis and treatment program. Read more…
Perspectives on pain management - Spine-health.com Newsletter
Careful attention to pain management and working with a pain management specialist are critical components of your recovery from neck pain, back pain and back problems. This newsletter offers tips for reducing stress, understanding the complexity of chronic pain and identifying different types of back pain and neck pain, as well as trying treatments like injections. Read more…
Please note that these additional patient resources(such asThe Back-to-Back Forum and Newsletters)on Spine-health.com are not peer-reviewed by the Spine-health.com Medical Advisory Board. They are provided as additional resources for patients to learn from the experiences of others and to gain information from our popular newsletters.
