Additional Pain Management

When you visit a spine specialist, you will undergo a thorough work-up. The physician will ask you questions about your neck or back pain, perform a physical examination and order any necessary investigations (x-ray, CT Scan, MRI, etc.) This detailed assessment will provide your physician most of the information necessary to make an accurate diagnosis for your condition.

However, it is often difficult and sometimes impossible to be 100% about the diagnosis by this initial assessment. Often, spinal injections, typically used to treat pain, are also used diagnostically to locate the pain source. The spine physician will perform this injection under live x-ray guidance to precisely place local anesthetic (numbing medication) around or inside the suspected source of pain. If you obtain significant relief from this injection, it is likely that the true diagnosis has been found.

Once your physician is confident about the diagnosis, you may be a candidate for therapeutic(treatment) injections. Most therapeutic spinal injections use a powerful anti-inflammatory medication called corticosteroids. The goal of the injection is to place a small amount of this potent anti-inflammatory medication exactly where the pain begins (e.g. joint, nerve). Under live x-ray guidance, your spine physician has the ability to precisely instill this medication where it will provide the greatest benefit to your spine problem.