Injection Therapy

Direct injection of medication into the back may be recommended by a physician for those patients whose conservative treatments have not worked.

Injection therapy includes local anaesthetics, saline, steroids, dextrose, sclerosants, and more complicated drugs used in hospital settings. Injections may be performed without x-ray control into the back muscles (paravertebral injections, tender point injections, trigger point injections), onto bony structures such as near the facet joints and supposedly into ligaments, and into the epidural space.

Injections may also be given under x-ray control into or onto the facet joints, the nerve supply of the facet joints (medial branch blocks), the inter-vertebral disc, the sympathetic plexus, the epidural space, and the intra-thecal space.

Epidural or intra-thecal steroid injections involves placing a small amount of cortisone into the bony spinal canal. This potent anti-inflammatory drug may decrease inflammation to spinal nerves and thereby ease the pain. It may also have a long-acting local anesthetic action.

Nerve blocks, with local anaesthetic agents, interrupt the signal of pain from a spinal nerve from reaching your brain. This can provide temporary relief of pain. These injections may also assist in confirming or negating a specific diagnosis regarding your spinal problem. Facet joint injections are done either to confirm a suspected diagnosis and/or to reduce pain and inflammation.