Nerve Block Frequency

Many people who suffer from severe and chronic pain can benefit from nerve blocks administered by an orthopedist.

A nerve block is an injection of an anesthetic and steroid into the area surrounding the affected nerve. This method effectively places medication directly around the nerve to minimize your pain. A great number of patients with chronic pain have found success in combining nerve block injections and physical therapy, a combination that can often help patients avoid surgical intervention.

If chronic pain is getting in your way of living a normal and active lifestyle, you may be a good candidate for nerve block treatment. However, not all orthopedic doctors offer the method, so check first with your orthopedist.

How Nerve Blocks Work

If you’re wondering how exactly nerve block therapy works, your doctor will inject steroid and anesthetic around the suspected nerve as a way to determine if it is, in fact, related to the source of your pain. If the nerve block alleviates your pain, your doctor may proceed with other treatment methods to more permanent treat your condition.

After a nerve block is administered, you may be sore at the injection site, which is normal. The steroid reaches peak effectiveness in about three days.

Keep in mind that different people react differently to a nerve block. In general, pain management requires a highly individualized approach that depends on many factors like the cause, locality, and severity of a patient’s pain.

How Often Can I Receive Nerve Blocks?

If you’ve had chronic pain for years, you may need a combination of treatment methods as your pain most likely involves multiple pain generators, meaning numerous joints and nerves could be affected. So, your treatment may involve receiving a series of nerve blocks.

Depending on your orthopedic physician’s recommendation, you may receive nerve block injections anywhere between three to six times in a 12-month period.

The sooner you start receiving nerve blocks, the better its chance of success, especially when combined with other treatment methods such as physical therapy.

Pain Management Doctor in St. Louis, Missouri

Our orthopedic team at Advanced Bone & Joint understand how chronic pain can interfere with living a life that you love. Our goal is to administer effective pain management techniques and help you get back on your feet and experiencing greater mobility.

We employ a variety of advanced treatment methods in our cutting-edge facility to provide pain relief for our patients. Our experts specialize in diagnosing, treating, and preventing issues affecting the shoulder, neck, back, knee, and hip, including common orthopedic conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis.

If you want pain relief and you want it now, call Advanced Bone & Joint today at (636) 229-4222 or request an appointment now.