Nerve Root Injection

Do you struggle with neck, pain, leg, or arm pain that doesn’t improve despite conservative medical care? Don’t give up on finding relief because the team at Minimally Invasive Medical Group can help. They can improve your symptoms and help you return to an active lifestyle with advanced treatments like nerve root injections. Call the office in Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, or Irvine, California, or request an appointment through online booking to learn more about your treatment options today.

What is a nerve root injection?

Nerve root injections contain two medications: a local anesthetic and a steroid. Your provider injects the medicines into a nerve root, the part of a spinal nerve where it leaves the protective spinal canal.

Nerve root injections are diagnostic and therapeutic:

Anesthesia diagnoses the source of your pain

If the injected anesthetic quickly and substantially reduces your pain, it verifies that the targeted nerve root is the source of the problem. Then, your provider can recommend other treatments offering longer-lasting pain relief.

Steroids produce a therapeutic result

Steroids treat the problem by reducing nerve root inflammation, but they work slowly, and the pain usually improves over several days.

Your provider can’t predict your results because each person responds differently. Some may get minimal pain relief, while others experience a significant difference for months.

A steroid injection may heal the problem if inflammation is the primary cause. If the steroids help but wear off, you can have repeat injections to prolong the results.

When would I need a nerve root injection?

Your Minimally Invasive Medical Group provider may recommend a nerve root injection to diagnose and treat neck, back, arm, and leg pain caused by inflamed or pinched nerve roots.

Herniated discs are one of the most common causes of inflamed nerve roots. Other spine conditions that affect the nerve roots include spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, spinal osteoarthritis, and bone spurs.

What happens during a nerve root injection?

Your Minimally Invasive Medical Group provider performs the nerve root block using imaging to guide the procedure. 

Techniques such as ultrasound and fluoroscopy (a specialized X-ray) show images in real-time, so your provider can see the nerve root and the needle during your procedure.

After inserting the needle, they inject a visible dye to be sure the needle is in the targeted nerve root. Then, they inject the medication.

Your provider asks you to keep track of your pain, noting when it starts to improve, how much relief you experience, and how long it lasts. This information helps them determine the next step if your pain doesn’t improve or returns.

Don’t wait to seek help for ongoing neck, back, arm, and leg pain. Use online booking or call the nearest Minimally Invasive Medical Group office today.