Nerve Blocks
Procura Pain and Spine
Pain Management located in The Woodlands, Shenandoah, TX
When you live with ongoing pain despite your regular medical treatment, nerve blocks can ease pain originating from anywhere in your body. At Procura Pain and Spine, board-certified physicians Kenneth Wu, MD, Thomas White, MD, and Yoann Millet, MD, help you get the pain relief you need through a wide range of safe and effective nerve blocks. To schedule an appointment, call the office in Shenandoah, Texas, or book online today.
Nerve Blocks Q & A
What is a nerve block?
A nerve block is a procedure that relieves your pain by injecting medications in or around a nerve. When your provider injects a local anesthetic, the drug blocks the pain signals traveling through the nerve to your brain. As a result, you don’t feel the pain.
Procura Pain and Spine team performs two types of nerve blocks. One identifies the specific nerves causing your pain, and the second gives you relief from acute (sudden) or chronic (long-lasting) pain.
If you have inflamed nerves, your nerve block may also contain steroid medication. Following a successful nerve block, your provider may recommend an additional procedure for long-lasting relief.
What type of nerve block might I receive?
Procura Pain and Spine offers many types of nerve blocks. A few of the most common include:
Lumbar sympathetic nerve block
A lumbar sympathetic nerve block targets sympathetic nerves along your spine. This procedure relieves lower back and leg pain caused by conditions like peripheral neuropathy, complex regional pain syndrome, peripheral artery disease, and shingles.
Medial nerve block
A medial nerve block stops pain messages coming from the facet joints in your spine. Procura Pain and Spine often uses this procedure to relieve the pain of facet joint arthritis.
Genicular nerve block
Since the genicular nerves carry pain messages from your knee to your brain, a genicular nerve block relieves pain caused by any problem in your knee.
Occipital nerve block
The occipital nerve travels along the back of your scalp to the top of your head. An occipital nerve block relieves migraine and cluster headaches, as well as pain caused by an inflamed occipital nerve.
Intercostal nerve block
Your intercostal nerves carry pain messages from your chest. An intercostal nerve block eases pain caused by issues like rib fractures, shingles, and lung or breast surgery.
Selective nerve root block
A selective nerve root block reduces pain caused by pinched and inflamed spinal nerves. The team often uses this procedure for pain caused by sciatica, herniated discs, and other spine conditions.
What happens during a nerve block?
After giving you a local anesthetic to numb the injection site, your provider uses X-ray imaging to guide the needle to the targeted nerve. After injecting a dye to verify the needle’s location, your provider injects the medication.
If you need pain relief, don’t wait to see the team at Procura Pain and Spine. Call or schedule an appointment online today.