Chronic musculoskeletal pain can make daily tasks difficult, uncomfortable, and even excruciating to perform. At EmergeOrtho, we offer a sophisticated and comprehensive approach to providing orthopedic-related pain relief.
As part of multiple conservative and minimally-invasive treatment options to address pain, our highly-skilled physicians provide qualifying patients with local anesthetic injections. We use state-of-the-art technology to provide ultrasound-guided injections to administer local anesthetics to the specific area that is causing pain.
If pain has become problematic and potentially debilitating, find out how local anesthetic injections may be able to help you return to the activities you enjoy.
What Is Local Anesthesia?
Local anesthetics block pain by numbing the specific area being treated. Opposed to general anesthesia, patients are able to remain conscious while a local anesthetic injection is administered.
As previously mentioned, EmergeOrtho physicians administer local anesthetic injections with the aid of ultrasound technology. Ultrasound-guided local anesthetic injections allow for greater precision and accuracy. In fact, studies demonstrate that ultrasound injection accuracy exceeds 90% in many cases. Many patients also express experiencing less pain than with “blind injections.”
Your doctor may utilize local anesthetic injections to help reduce pain in the joints and soft tissues. Additionally, local anesthesia is often applied during surgery, including joint replacement procedures.
Medial Branch Blocks
Our EmergeOrtho physicians draw upon their extensive expertise and pinpoint precision to address the heart of back and nerve pain with the use of medial branch blocks.
Your spine is composed of several facet joints between the vertebrae. These joints allow your spine to bend and twist. During a medial branch block, your physician will use a local anesthetic to numb the area to be examined. Next, a contrast dye is used to determine which nerves are causing pain. Once the source of pain has been identified, a needle is used to inject a local anesthetic into the nerves.
Lumbar medial branch blocks and cervical medial branch blocks follow a similar process. Cervical medial branch blocks are used to diagnose and treat neck pain, while those in the lumbar area address lower back pain.
Do Local Anesthetic Injections Hurt?
The answer varies. Since each person has a different pain tolerance, and certain areas of the body are more sensitive than others, some patients experience minor to moderate pain (but this only lasts a very short time). Some individuals describe feeling a slight burning or tingling sensation. Again, because our highly trained and skilled physicians utilize ultimate precision with the aid of ultrasound guidance, the probability of experiencing pain is reduced.
Does Local Anesthesia Have Side Effects?
Although side effects are rare, some patients may experience allergic reactions. Prior to administering local anesthesia, your EmergeOrtho doctor will ensure you are an appropriate candidate for this procedure by carefully reviewing your medical history.
Addressing Chronic Pain with Comprehensive Solutions
Chronic pain can be particularly debilitating and challenging. Our skilled team includes board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians who want you to Emerge Stronger. Healthier. Better. Our compassionate care and dedication to excellence remain a priority in all that we do.
If you would like to learn more about local anesthetic injections or how to relieve orthopedic-related pain, request a visit now.
