Treatment for:
Chronic pain
Procedures offered:
Epidurals
Facet and other injections
Nerve blocks
Interventional pain management radiology is a new and exciting field. Our specially trained doctors provide treatment options that directly delivery therapy to the source of your pain with pinpoint accuracy. Using image guidance, these therapies precisely target inflammation within the body’s joints, soft tissues and bone structures for more effective, lasting relief.
Back Pain
Conditions within the spine—such as a herniated disc—can cause inflammation that puts pressure on the nerves which results in numbness, tingling or pain. We offer a series of epidural and facet injections that treat the inflammation with lasting effects. Lower back and leg pain caused by swelling around the sympathetic plexus can also be treated.
Joint Pain
Pain within the hips, knees, ankles, heels, elbows and shoulders are treated with a few techniques, including steroid injections, facet injections or viscosupplementation, which reduce inflammation and relieve pain within the tendons and soft tissues within joints. We also treat sacroiliac (SI) joint pain caused by pregnancy, weight gain, arthritis and other conditions, as well as pain within the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Chest pain caused by costochondritis or Tietze syndrome
An inflammation of the costochondral junctions of the ribs or the chest wall is a common condition that often results in chest pain, tenderness and other symptoms. Tietze syndrome is a less common condition that involves the swelling of cartilage around the rib cage. Both are treated with injections of anti-inflammatory medication.
Abdominal pain caused by cancer or pancreatitis
These conditions can cause pain in the celiac plexus, a bundle of nerves that surrounds the abdominal aorta. A celiac plexus block is an injection of pain medication that relieves abdominal pain that may result from cancer or pancreatitis.
Muscle spasms and knots
A piriformis injection of BOTOX® can help to relax the muscle and reduce pain within the buttocks and posterior legs caused by piriformis syndrome. Trigger point injections are another technique we use for treating muscles that do not relax, and may form “knots” beneath the skin in different areas of the body, including the neck, shoulders, back and pelvis.
Migraine headaches
In addition to preventing wrinkles, BOTOX® is now a popular treatment for chronic migraine headaches. For adults with 15 or more days of migraines per month that last 4 or more hours, an injection of BOTOX® at 7 key areas of the head and neck can alleviate and prevent headaches. These injections are typically administered at 12 week intervals.
Other conditions
Nerve pain, pain caused by tarsal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia and other conditions may be treated with interventional pain management radiology techniques such as trigger point injections and nerve blocks.
If you have questions regarding our treatment options, call us! We are always available to talk to you and/or your doctor about our pain management services.
Pain Management – Preparation Instructions
- You should report to your doctor all medications that you are taking—including herbal supplements—and if you have any allergies, especially to local anesthetic, medications, general anesthesia or to contrast materials (also known as “dye” or “x-ray dye”).
- Your physician may advise you to stop taking aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or a blood thinner for a specified period of time before your procedure. Also inform your doctor about recent illnesses or other medical conditions.
- Women should always inform their physician and x-ray technologist if there is any possibility that they are pregnant. Many imaging tests are not performed during pregnancy so as not to expose the fetus to radiation. If an x-ray is necessary, precautions will be taken to minimize radiation exposure to the baby.
- In most cases, you may take your usual medications, especially blood pressure medications. These may be taken with some water in the morning before your procedure.
- You may be instructed to not eat or drink anything for several hours before your procedure.
- You will be given a gown to wear during the procedure.
