Could Interventional Spinal Injections Help Your Back Pain?

If you’re one of the millions of Americans currently dealing with back pain right now, then it’s likely that you have searched online for what you can do about it. In the realm of treatment, there is no shortage of solutions, but one that isn’t brought up very often is interventional spinal injections. What are they? How do they work? Could they be the key to the long-term relief you want? To find out more about this cutting-edge treatment, keep reading.

What Are Interventional Spinal Injections?

This type of treatment involves injecting a therapeutic substance directly into the spine (such as corticosteroids, PRP, or amniotic growth factors) in order to reduce pain, improve function, and promote accelerated healing. It serves as a conservative middle ground between at-home solutions (rest, hot pad, ice pack) and invasive surgery. With it, treatment is applied exactly where it’s needed, and the patient doesn’t have to get any incisions.

The Two Main Uses of Interventional Spinal Injections

Interventional spinal injections are typically used in two distinct ways by doctors. After imaging the spine and determining the area that is causing the pain, the options are:

• Diagnostic Injection: The doctor injects the patient, and if the pain stops, then they know they have found the source of the problem. This can be tremendously helpful in establishing whether a patient’s discomfort is primarily being caused by an affected nerve, disc, or vertebrae.
• Treatment Injection: Once the cause of the pain has been identified, the doctor can inject the patient with a variety of substances in order to help with their pain and mobility.

Are Interventional Spinal Injections Safe?

Of course, when talking about anything that deals with the spine, safety is the top priority. Fortunately, when applied by a trained doctor in conjunction with thorough imaging and guidance, interventional spinal injections are not only safe, but consistently successful.

Should You Get Interventional Spinal Injections?

This is a decision best made by you and your doctor. What will inform it the most are the results of the imaging they take of your back. If it’s apparent that an alternative solution would better suit your situation, then they will likely recommend that. But, for many patients, interventional spinal injections offer the non-invasive, medication-free solution to their back pain they have been searching for.

About the Author

Dr. Joel Stein has been helping people get out of pain for almost 40 years as an osteopathic doctor. To date, he has literally successfully treated thousands of patients dealing with chronic back pain, and he often uses interventional spinal injections to do so. To learn more about this treatment and the other services offered at the Institute for Non-Surgical Orthopedics, you can schedule an appointment at our Fort Lauderdale office by clicking here.