Chronic Pain Relief with Injections
Enduring chronic pain can feel like an unrelenting battle, with its unpredictable nature causing frustration and uncertainty about when the next flare-up will occur. However, at Accident911 in Atlanta, we offer a beacon of hope through medical injections.
Our pain management injections offer a minimally invasive yet highly effective solution, providing lasting relief from chronic pain caused by a wide variety of injuries or conditions. If you’re tired of living with constant discomfort, our specialists are here to help. Contact us today at 470-855-4029 to speak with a specialist or schedule a consultation and take the first step toward a pain-free life.
How Medical Injections Help Control Pain
Pain relief injections contain different types of medications. Most injections include a steroid, such as cortisone, a local anesthetic, or a combination of both.
Epidural steroid injections
Injections containing steroids are often used for long-term relief of pain and inflammation. Epidural injections are commonly used to relieve low back pain and can also help with neck and upper back pain. These injections deliver medication into the epidural space surrounding the spinal cord for significant relief.
Nerve Blocks
Another common form of pain relief injections are nerve blocks. They help relieve acute pain by interrupting nerve signals that would otherwise register as pain as they reach the brain. Nerve blocks can also help locate the source of discomfort.
Summary of the procedure
These injections are usually administered in a quick and simple procedure. First, the area to be injected is cleaned. Next, a local anesthetic is applied and an x-ray guide with a test dye identifies the precise site for the administration of the medication. Finally, the medication is injected and the area is covered with a small bandage.
Patients can expect the pain to subside shortly after the medication takes effect. The number of injections needed for lasting relief varies from person to person.
Conditions treatable with medical injections
Pain management injections can treat a wide range of conditions and injuries that cause chronic pain.
Common injuries
Back injuries: Resulting from repetitive motions, heavy lifting, sports accidents, twisting or falls.
- Dislocated or fractured vertebrae.
- Cervical or lumbar sprains
- Whiplash
- Herniated disc
- Muscle strain
- Traffic accident injuries
Treatable diseases
Osteoarthritis: Over time, the cartilage that cushions the joints breaks down, leading to osteoarthritis. It mainly affects the joints of the spine, hips, knees and hands, but can affect any joint.
Radiculopathy: Degenerative changes, injuries and inflamed soft tissues can pinch nerves and lead to radiculopathy.
Degenerative disc disease: Aging causes spinal discs to weaken and dry out, resulting in back pain.
Spinal stenosis: Bone spurs, herniated discs and thickened ligaments can narrow the spinal canal and put pressure on nerves.
Medical Injection Services at Accidentes911
Accident911 offers a variety of injections to help manage chronic pain efficiently.
Spinal Injections
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
Used to treat chronic pain in arthritic joints, lower back and neck. RFA uses heat to destroy specific nerve tissue, preventing it from sending pain signals. It is suitable for pain that does not respond to other treatments such as physical therapy and medication and for patients with successful nerve block injections.
Cervical medial branch block injections.
Treat facet joint pain, which can cause referred shoulder pain, headaches and neck pain. This injection delivers a local anesthetic near the nerves next to the joint, blocking pain signals to the brain. It provides long-term relief and can predict the success of radiofrequency ablation of the affected nerve branches.
Cervical epidural injections
Provides temporary relief of chronic neck pain caused by inflammation and irritation of spinal nerve roots, often due to spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, herniated discs and osteoarthritis. An anti-inflammatory is injected into the epidural space in the neck.
Thoracic Facet Joint Injections
The facet joints, which are located in the vertebrae of the spine, can be affected by arthritis, stress and injury, causing chronic pain in the chest, mid-back and sometimes arms. These injections administer a mixture of local anesthetic and corticosteroids to relieve pain in the mid and upper back.
Thoracic epidural injections
Provide temporary pain relief in the thoracic region (mid and upper back), allowing patients to perform physical therapy or avoid surgery. The medication is administered in the epidural space around the spine.
Lumbar Facet Joint Injections
The lumbar facet joints, located in the lower back, can cause pain due to arthritis and facet arthropathy. Also known as lumbar facet joint blocks, these injections introduce an anesthetic medication into the affected area.
Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Injections
Ideal for low back pain that worsens with bending and pain that radiates down the legs, this injection delivers steroids into the epidural space on the side where the nerve exits the spine, attacking the inflammation at its source.
Sacroiliac Joint Injections
The sacroiliac joint connects the pelvis and spine, with a joint on each side of the body. These injections deliver medication directly into the joint to relieve pain and help diagnose the source of back pain.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) spinal injections
Unlike other procedures, PRP injections do not use medication. They involve injecting a concentrated dose of the patient’s platelets and plasma into the spine to reduce inflammation and improve healing. PRP injections provide longer lasting results and are safer for continued use, with fewer side effects and risks than steroids.
Joint Injections
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Joint Injections
Using the patient’s blood to accelerate healing, these injections have a higher concentration of growth factors in platelet-rich plasma. A sample of the patient’s blood is processed in a centrifuge to extract the plasma, which is injected into the injured joint. Results are visible in a matter of weeks, and these injections are safer than corticosteroids.
Joint steroid injections
Steroid injections, which contain an anesthetic agent and a corticosteroid, are beneficial for chronic joint pain due to inflammation. Administered directly into the joint capsule, they offer significant pain relief that lasts for days, months or even years. Ideal for treating joint pain due to degeneration, injury or arthritis, common injection sites are the knee, shoulder, hip, sacroiliac and facet joints.
Experience effective pain relief today
Chronic pain significantly affects your quality of life. If you are exhausted from ineffective pain relief methods, consider medical injections in Atlanta. Call 470-855-4029 to speak with one of our knowledgeable pain relief specialists or to schedule an appointment at Accidentes911.
