A Powerful Tool for Those With Nerve Pain
Peripheral nerve blocks are an ideal diagnostic and pain-relief tool for those experiencing nerve pain. Using medicine administered through a minimally invasive injection, they “block” the pain signals coming from the nerve, providing short-term relief and allowing for further treatments.
Nerve pain is common, but it doesn’t have to change your life. At Better Health Alaska, we use peripheral nerve blocks to help patients determine the best course of treatment for their chronic nerve pain, arthritis, headaches, and more.
What Are Peripheral Nerve Blocks?
Peripheral nerve blocks are non-opioid medications that serve to “block” the pain traveling along the length of a nerve. These are increasingly used as a local anesthetic instead of opioids for post-surgery pain management and instead of general anesthetic for surgical procedures.
Some of the medications commonly used include lidocaine, bupivacaine, mepivacaine, ropivacaine, and levobupivacaine. These are sometimes combined with adjuvant drugs to prolong the pain-relieving properties.
Peripheral Nerve Blocks for Diagnosis
Sometimes these minimally invasive injections are used as a way to pinpoint the nerve that’s causing your pain. Since there isn’t always an easy and effective way to locate the exact nerve, the use of guided minimally invasive nerve block injections can tell medical professionals which nerve is affected. This information can be essential in developing an effective treatment plan for the cause of the pain.
Peripheral Nerve Blocks for Pain Relief
While not ideal for long-term pain management, peripheral nerve blocks can be appropriate for some under certain conditions. For acute pain, nerve blocks can relieve pain and reduce swelling, which can allow more conservative options to effectively address the underlying issue.
How Are Peripheral Nerve Blocks Administered?
Minimally invasive nerve block injections are simple outpatient procedures that usually take around 30 minutes to complete.
- The medical professional will clean the skin around the injection site and numb it with an anesthetic.
- He or she will then use imaging — usually ultrasound — to guide the minimally invasive injection to the correct place.
- After the medicine is injected, you’ll generally wait for a few minutes while it goes to work while we ensure there are no adverse reactions.
- You may answer a few questions about the feeling in the area and your pain levels before being able to go home or head for conservative treatments in the clinic.
What Are the Benefits of Peripheral Nerve Blocks?
Peripheral nerve blocks aren’t ideal for long-term pain relief, but they’re highly beneficial for relieving severe nerve pain quickly. This can be important when the pain is too great to perform any other sort of treatment on the area. They can eliminate the need for dangerous opioid painkillers by targeting the nerve or nerve bunch with precision.
Peripheral nerve blocks can provide relief for 8 to 36 hours. They can be used for:
- Sciatica Pain
- Low Back Pain
- Arthritis Pain
- Migraines
- Disc Pain
- Chronic Regional Pain
Pain is often the biggest obstacle to effective treatments, so peripheral nerve blocks can take away that obstacle so we can get to the root of the cause.
Peripheral Nerve Block Studies
The following studies exemplify the different uses of peripheral nerve blocks in modern medicine.
A 2016 study sought to determine the efficacy of peripheral nerve blocks in managing headaches among those over 65 years old. The study found promising results, recording that they were effective in approximately 73% of all headaches. For migraines, the number was 81% for chronic migraine and 75% for episodic migraine. For chronic tension headaches, the number was 67%. There were no adverse events recorded.
Another study on the effects of peripheral nerve blocks found that they reduced inflammation in knee surgery patients immediately following surgery. The nerve block group actually recovered mobilization faster than the morphine-administered control group. Their knee circumference and temperature were also favorable, noting the anti-inflammatory benefits of nerve blocks.
A retrospective study of 4960 patients showed the benefits of nerve blocks for refractory neuropathic pain. The study found overall favorable outcomes among patients who had no significant pain relief from other typical treatment options.
Peripheral Nerve Block at Better Health Alaska
If you’re suffering from nerve pain of any kind that hasn’t responded well to conservative treatments, peripheral nerve blocks could be right for you. For some patients, these are used as a diagnostic tool to gather information on how best to treat the underlying cause of the pain. For others, they provide pain and inflammation relief so other treatment options can be pursued without debilitating pain.
At Better Health Alaska, we provide more options than a typical chiropractor. With peripheral nerve blocks, physical medicine, physical therapy, and other medical options, you can get the best overall care in one place.
Contact us today for an appointment and let us help you get back to your pain-free life.
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