NERVE BLOCKS

A nerve block is a specialised injection that targets a certain nerve or group of nerves to help diagnose and treat nerve pain. The purpose of the injection is to turn off a pain signals coming from a specific area in the body and can to reduce inflammation in that area.

If the pain goes away, then it means that the nerve or group of nerves is the most likely source of the pain. Then longer-term interventional treatment can be focused on the nerve pain.  

To treat them we use specialised needles to deliver local anaesthetic or steroid to the nerves causing you pain. As an example, we use epidural steroid injection (ESI), caudal epidural injections or cortisone injections to treat lower back pain and leg pain caused by sciatica and other factors.

NERVE BLOCKS PERFORMED

We use nerve blocks for the following: 

• Arm pain
  • Spinal nerve root nerve block
  • Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) nerve block
  • Stellate ganglion nerve block 
• Back pain
  • Caudal nerves with a caudal epidural injection
  • Sciatica nerve block
• Chest pain
  • Intercostal nerve block 
  • Thoracic sympathetic ganglion blocks
• Facial pain
  • Mandibular nerve block
  • Sphenopalantine ganglion nerve block
  • Stellate ganglion nerve block
  • Supraorbital nerve block
  • Infraorbital nevre block
  • Other facial nerves
• Leg pain
  • Spinal nerve root block
  • Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) nerve block
  • Sympathetic ganglion nerve block
• Neuromas (benign growth of nerve tissue pain)
• Occipital headache
  • Third occipital nerve block
  • Greater and lesser occipital nerve block
  • Suboccipital space blocks
• Shoulder pain
  • Suprascapular nerve block
• Spine pain
  • Medial branch nerve block of the spine facet joint
  • Spinal nerve root nerve block
  • Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) nerve block
  • Paravertebral nerve block
•  Pelvic or rectal pain
  • Ganglion Impar nerve block
  • Pudendal nerve block
  • Caudal epidural block
• Hip pain
  • Obturator and femoral nerve block
• Knee pain
  • Genicular nerve block
• Trigeminal neuralgia pain
  • Mandibular nerve block
  • Sphenopalantine ganglion nerve block
  • Supraorbital nerve block
  • Trigeminal nerve block

Pretty much any nerve can be blocked if done by safe and experienced hands.

DID YOU KNOW?

Nerve injections can also be done to help diagnose if those nerves carry the pain signals. For example if you inject a nerve or group of nerves in your lower back with anaesthetic and your pain in the back or leg or foot goes away while the anaesthetic is working, then it means that is the most likely source of the pain. Now different interventional treatments can be focused on that nerve or group of nerves to provide you with longer-term pain relief.

1. Boswell MV et al. Interventional techniques: evidence-based practice guidelines in the management of chronic spinal pain. Pain Physician. 2007;10:7-111.
2. Bogduk N. Diagnostic nerve blocks in chronic pain. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2002;16:565-78.
3. Levin M. Nerve blocks in the treatment of headache. Neurotherapeutics. 2010;7:197-203.
4. Hildebrandt J. Relevance of nerve blocks in treating and diagnosing low back pain--is the quality decisive? Schmerz. 2001;15:474-83.