Spinal pain management

Back pain affects a large number of people and can at times be difficult to manage. In certain cases, minimally invasive image guided techniques can be utilized to treat back pain. If a careful neurological examination and review of imaging studies reveals that a patient’s pain may arise from the facet joint, intervertebral disc, nerve root irritation or compression then image guided injections may provide significant relief. Using CT or state of the art x-ray fluoroscopic guidance a needle can be guided directly to the cause of a patient’s pain. Precise image guided spinal injections, consisting of anesthetics and anti-inflammatory medications can then be performed to reduce pain. These include epidural steroid injections, facet blocks and nerve root blocks. In some cases, chronic irritation of a spinal nerve can be permanently treated with radiofrequency ablation of the nerve. Even protruded or herniated discs can be treated with these minimally invasive techniques. Tiny devices can be introduced through a small skin incision and guided to the site of the disc protrusion or herniation. Once there these devices can be used to shrink the disc and reduce pressure on adjacent nerves.

For patients with pain that has lasted a long time, who have failed or are not candidates for other measures, spinal cord stimulation may be a viable option. Spinal cord stimulators are devices that are enclosed in a small container and implanted under the patient’s skin. They send low-level electrical impulses to nerve fibers that may block pain signals from reaching the brain. While stimulators are not a cure for pain, they are designed to allow patients to return to a more normal lifestyle.