What are Spinal Injection Procedures?

Spinal injection procedures are performed in order to both diagnose and treat different causes of back pain. There are multiple types of spinal injection procedures; the most commonly performed procedures include epidural injections, selective nerve root injections, and facet joint injections. The type of injection you receive is determined by your doctor based on the pattern and distribution of your symptoms and the results of other imaging studies such as lumbar spine CT or MRI.

What Should I Expect?

The radiologist will discuss the procedure with you and answer any questions you have before proceeding. You will be asked to lie on your stomach, and the appropriate site will be localized using fluoroscopy ("real-time" X-rays). After sterilizing and numbing your skin, the radiologist will advance a needle to the appropriate location, which may reproduce your usual symptoms. After injecting a small amount of contrast material to confirm the needle is in the proper location, the radiologist will inject a mixture of a steroid medication and an anesthetic agent, which often produces an immediate improvement in symptoms. The needle will then be removed, and you will be free to go home.. The entire procedure usually takes about 30 minutes, though occasionally more time is required.

How Should I Prepare?

You should continue taking your medications as usual except for blood thinning medications. Be sure and inform the radiologist if you are taking any blood-thinning medications such as Coumadin. A friend or relative should drive you both to and from the procedure, as you may experience some residual leg numbness or weakness afterwards. Remember to bring any outside CT or MRI studies with you if they were not performed at X-Ray Associates of New Mexico.

How Do I Get The Results?

After your study is over, the images will be evaluated by one of our board-certified Radiologists with expertise in musculoskeletal imaging. A final report will be sent to your doctor, who can then discuss the results with you in detail. X-Ray Associates offers Pain Management services at our El Camino Imaging Center. Should you have any questions regarding your exam, we will be happy to discuss them with you.

What Are Possible Complicatioins?

Serious complications are rare but could include infection or bleeding in the spine. Some mild side effects include: temporary worsening of back or leg pain, redness and flushing around the face, fluid gain for 1-2 days, and high blood sugars if you are a diabetic.

Lumbar Nerve Root Block

Cervical Nerve Root Block

Sacral Nerve Root Block