If you are experiencing nerve pain and have been looking for nerve pain relief that doesn’t require you to take medications with side effects or undergo drastic procedures, a nerve block injection might be your answer. Nerve blocks can help your pain without harsh aftereffects.
When a group of nerves – called a plexus or ganglion –causes pain to a specific organ or body region, an epidural injection can block pain by injecting medication into a specific area of the body. The injection of this nerve-numbing substance is called a nerve block, as it numbs the pain, giving you nerve pain relief relatively quickly without side effects.
Epidural Injection & Occipital Nerve Block: How They’re Used
Different kinds of nerve blocks are used for different purposes.
- Treat: Therapeutic nerve blocks are used to treat painful conditions. Such nerve blocks contain local anesthetic that can be used to control acute pain
- Diagnose: Diagnostic nerve blocks are used to determine sources of pain. These blocks typically contain an anesthetic with a known duration of relief
- Determine: Prognostic nerve blocks predict the outcomes of given treatments. For example, a nerve block may be performed to determine if more permanent treatments (such as surgery) would be successful in treating pain rather than a series of pain injections
- Preventative: Preemptive nerve blocks are meant to prevent subsequent pain from a procedure that can cause problems including phantom limb pain
- Surgery? No, Thanks: Nerve blocks can be used, in some cases, to avoid surgery
What are Nerve Blocks?
Types of Nerve Blocks
Various areas of pain require different nerve block types and pain injections. Below are a few of the available nerve blocks at our wellness practice:
- Trigeminal nerve blocks (face)
- Ophthalmic nerve block (eyelids and scalp)
- Supraorbital nerve block (forehead)
- Maxillary nerve block (upper jaw)
- Sphenopalatine nerve block (nose and palate)
- Cervical epidural, thoracic epidural, and lumbar epidural block (neck and back)
- Cervical plexus block and cervical paravertebral block (shoulder and upper neck)
- Brachial plexus block, elbow block, and wrist block (shoulder/arm/hand, elbow, and wrist)
- Occipital nerve block (head, migraine pain, occipital nerve inflammation
- Subarachnoid block and celiac plexus block (abdomen and pelvis)
Other nerve blocks
The possibilities are endless to a pain-free and healthy life!
Other specific types of nerve blocks include:
- Sympathetic nerve block: A sympathetic nerve block is one that is performed to determine if there is damage to the sympathetic nerve chain. This is a network of nerves extending the length of the spine. These nerves control some of the involuntary functions of the body, such as opening and narrowing blood vessels.
- Stellate ganglion block: This is a type of sympathetic nerve block performed to determine if there is damage to the sympathetic nerve chain supplying the head, neck, chest, or arms and if it is the source of pain in those areas. Although used mainly as a diagnostic block, the stellate ganglion block may provide pain relief in excess of the duration of the anesthetic.
- Facet joint block: Also known as a zygapophysial joint block, the facet joint block is performed to determine whether a facet joint is a source of pain. Facet joints are located on the back of the spine, where one vertebra slightly overlaps another. These joints guide and restrict the spines movement.
Are you ready to feel pain relief, diagnose a problem, or prevent an issue?
Call us to schedule a consultation today at 732-431-2155 to learn how nerve blocks and pain injections can help you on your journey to a well and pain-free life!
