The selective nerve root block is a minimally invasive injection procedure designed to identify the source of your spine pain and reduce inflammation around the nerves to decrease your pain. It’s both a diagnostic as well as a pain management procedure. By injecting the medication into the nerve root and monitoring its response, Dr. Siddiqui can determine if the injected nerve is truly the source of your pain. Once the culprit is identified, The Spine Center can create a plan for eliminating your pain and allowing you to enjoy a more active lifestyle.
What to Expect with Selective Nerve Root Block
The procedure is fairly straightforward. You’ll be given a local anesthetic around the area of the injection. Dr. Siddiqui then locates the targeted spinal nerve root and injects the needle into the area adjacent to this nerve root. Medication is released into the area, helping to relieve swelling and reduce your pain. If you respond well to the treatment, it’s an indication that the injected root is the source of your pain. If you don’t have a response and your pain persists after a few days, this is a sign that your pain is coming from elsewhere, requiring future diagnostics.
Common Questions about Selective Nerve Root Block
We do our best to educate our patients on procedures. The more informed you are, the better able you’ll be to understand your spinal condition.
Here are some answers to questions we commonly receive about selective nerve root block.
- Does it hurt? We use local anesthesia to numb the area of the injection and minimize pain, but you should still be prepared for some minor discomfort from the injection.
- How does it work? Dr. Siddiqui injects a targeted spinal nerve root with a steroid designed to reduce swelling and alleviate your pain. If your pain goes away after a few days, this shows us that the nerve is the source of your pain. If the pain doesn’t go away, it means the pain is coming from elsewhere.
- How long do the results last? Assuming we’ve injected the nerve root causing your pain, you can expect pain relief to last anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months.
