20 May Conditions That Benefit From Selective Nerve Root Block
Selective nerve root blocks are procedures that exist to help combat chronic pain. They consist of an injection of anesthetic along a specific nerve root. Most patients who undergo selective nerve root blocks have tried a plethora of other treatments without any success. While selective nerve root blocks are effective, they are most effective for patients who are true candidates for the treatment.
There are certain conditions that benefit more than others from selective nerve root blocks.
Nerve roots are directly attached to the spinal cord and carry information from the body to the brain. When something causes irritation to one of these nerve roots, it can cause sensations of tingling and numbness to weakness and pain. This can be a very difficult condition to live with and can greatly affect a person’s quality of life.
During a nerve root block, a fluoroscopy low dose x-ray is used to inject anti-inflammatory medication into the correct nerve root. This can help to greatly reduce, if not completely eliminate feelings of pain.
The procedure takes about half an hour, and patients are able to leave the facility as soon as they are able to walk on their own. In order to have the best results from a selective nerve root block, it is important to ensure a patient is a good candidate for the procedure.
The best candidates are those who show signs of a herniated disc, sciatica, or irritation and swelling around a nerve root. While nerve root blocks can greatly help with pain caused by any of the above ailments, selective nerve root blocks are not able to fix all back pain.
A proper diagnosis is required before selective nerve root blocks can be used to lessen the pain a patient is feeling.
Patients suffering from a herniated disc can benefit from a selective nerve root block because herniated discs can press on a nerve root causing it to become inflamed.
The herniated disc may not be bad enough to warrant surgery, but without a fixed herniated disc, there will be continuous pain. This is where selective nerve root blocks come into play.
When a patient undergoes a nerve root block for a herniated disc, the patient is able to significantly reduce the amount of pain they are feeling without having to undergo a dangerous surgery.
This is true with sciatica as well since sciatica can cause swelling at the nerve root.
Selective nerve root blocks are effective treatments for chronic back pain caused by certain conditions. Those patients who are suffering from herniated discs, sciatica, and inflamed nerve roots can all greatly benefit from the procedure because the injection of anti-inflammatory medication can greatly help to reduce the amount of pain felt by the patient.
Selective nerve root blocks are just one of the many tools pain management specialists have at their disposal when helping patients dealing with chronic pain. It is important to get an accurate diagnosis by a pain management specialist in order to determine whether or not a selective nerve root block is right for you.