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Diagnostic Treatments

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Diagnostic Injections

Diagnostic injections are procedures wherein a local anesthetic, sometimes combined with a corticosteroid, is injected into specific anatomical structures suspected to be the source of pain. The primary goal is to determine whether these structures are indeed causing the patient's pain. Successful pain relief following the injection typically indicates that the targeted structure is a significant source of the pain.


Types of Diagnostic Injections

  • Facet Joint Injections: These injections target the small joints located between the vertebrae in the spine. They are often used to diagnose and manage spinal pain, particularly in the cervical and lumbar regions.
  • Nerve Blocks: Nerve blocks involve injecting anesthetic near specific nerves to determine if they are involved in the patient's pain. Common examples include the median branch block and the stellate ganglion block.
  • Sacroiliac Joint Injections: These injections help identify pain originating from the sacroiliac joints, which connect the lowest part of the spine to the pelvis.
  • Epidural Steroid Injections: Though often therapeutic, these injections can also serve a diagnostic purpose by targeting the area around the spinal cord and nerve roots to identify sources of radicular pain.

Occiptal Nerve Block



Occipital nerve blocks are performed for the diagnoses and treatment of headaches originating at the base of the skull. Typically, these headaches are described as pain starting at the base of the skull and radiating up over the head. The injections target the occipital nerves at the base of the skull. The nerves are injected with numbing medication and steroid. The numbing medication provides diagnostic information which indicates whether these nerves are primary pain generators. The steroid decreases inflammation, swelling, and pain.

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Radiofrequency Ablation Neurotomy


Medial branch block testing is how we diagnose which nerves to treat with radiofrequency ablation neurotomy. This treatment is designed to treat the nerves that innervate the facet joints of the spine. It can be performed on the cervical, thoracic, lumbar spine, and nerves to the sacroiliac joints. Medial branch block testing is performed by placing a small about of numbing medication directly on the nerves as they exit the facet joints. A successful diagnosis is made when the pain is gone after the numbing medication has been applied. Once the nerves have been successfully identified with medial branch block testing, the same nerves are then treated with radiofrequency ablation neurotomy. The radiofrequency ablation neurotomy is done with a small needle that is placed on the nerve. That needle then heats up just enough to remove the very delicate nerve tissue in the targeted area.

Selective Nerve Root Block



A selective nerve root block is a diagnostic and therapeutic injection used primarily for the treatment of pain radiating down the leg. The injection is designed to diagnose and treat specific nerve roots where they exit the spine. Nerve roots may be irritated from a bulging disc or from other structural abnormalities around the nerve. A small amount of numbing medication and steroid are placed directly on the targeted nerve root. The numbing medication provides a diagnostic phase that indicates whether the targeted root is the primary pain generator and the steroid provides for decreased inflammation, swelling, and pain.

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Chronic pain doesn't have to mean complex treatments. Our minimally invasive techniques offer a straightforward path to relief.

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