What are spinal injections?
Spinal injections are an option for both diagnosing and treating a spine condition. Dr. Graham offers several types of spinal injections to address pain and other symptoms of various spine conditions. These injections include:
Epidural injections
This type of injection delivers anesthetic and anti-inflammatory medications to the affected area of the spine, providing fast relief of pain and inflammation.
Epidural injections can also be effective as a diagnostic tool, identifying the affected nerve that causes pain.
Joint facet injections
Joint facet injections deliver pain-relieving medications to the small joints between each vertebra.
They can also be useful in diagnosing which joint is causing pain. By injecting an anesthetic into a certain area, Dr. Graham can determine if treatment eases your pain or has no effect on your condition.
Sacroiliac joint injections
This type of injection delivers anti-inflammatory or anesthetic medications to the sacroiliac joint, which is located between your hip and pelvic bones. These injections relieve low back pain, as well as pain in your legs and buttocks.
What can I expect during a spinal injection procedure?
Dr. Graham refers his patients to doctors who are specially trained in doing spinal injections and he instructs those doctors exactly what type of injection is needed.
Soon after treatment, you can feel a difference in your level of pain. However, it can take several days to achieve the full benefits of injection treatment.
Dr. Graham may choose to administer follow-up treatments to ensure your pain is well-controlled, based on your condition and specific needs.
Are spinal injections safe?
Risks with a spinal injection are minimal. Dr. Graham ensures you can tolerate the procedure by reviewing your medical history and current health.
Following your treatment, you may have some muscle weakness or experience tenderness in the injection site. You can relieve this discomfort with ice therapy and rest.
Learn more about the benefits of spinal injections by calling Northwest Spine Center today, or book a consultation online.
