Suffering From Chronic Pain? Spinal Injection Services May Help
Spinal conditions can create many kinds of crippling chronic pain symptoms. Osteoarthritis of the facet joints (the articulated joints that connect your vertebrae to each other), herniated or bulging discs that press against nerve tissue, and other structural problems can cause constant back or neck pain. When ordinary treatment techniques such as medication or physical therapy can't ease your agony, you may want to look at spinal injection services. The following techniques could make all the difference in how you feel and function.
Epidural Spinal Injections
If you're suffering from severe pain, epidural spinal injections may hold your answers. The spinal cord is surrounded by a membrane known as the dura. Your pain management specialist can inject combination of anesthetic and corticosteroid medication into the epidural space formed by this structure. The medication eases both immediate pain and the inflammation that produces swelling and pressure on nerves. Epidural spinal injections can prove highly effective in treating degenerative spinal problems such as herniated discs or spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal).
Facet Joint Injections
Facet joint injections can help diagnose your condition while also providing long-lasting pain relief. After first giving you a local anesthetic, your pain management specialist will use an X-ray camera called a fluoroscope to guide a hypodermic needle into the facet joint suspected of causing your pain. Anesthetic is then injected through this needle into the joint. If your pain vanishes, then you're treating the right spot and can expect extended pain relief from an injection of corticosteroid medication into that same spot.
PRP Injections
PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma. Your blood plasma contains cells called platelets which perform critical healing functions in injured tissues. In addition to making clotting possible, they also release growth factors that trigger tissue regeneration. Sometimes, however, a spinal injury requires more access to platelets than it can normally receive through its usual blood supply. PRP injections involve the collection of platelets from a blood sample, which then spins in a centrifuge until the platelets are separated from other blood elements. The platelet-rich plasma is then injected into the injury site to give your spine a concentrated boost of healing power. PRP injections can reduce spinal pain to a remarkable degree -- but the earlier it used to treat degenerative spinal issues, the more effective it is likely to be.
Ask your doctor whether spinal injections make sense for your specific injury or chronic condition. Life-changing pain relief could be just a shot away!