Treatments
Fourteen procedures. All minimally invasive.
Image guided injections and implants done in the office, usually in under an hour. Each page covers what the procedure is, who it helps, every step, recovery and the honest risks.
All procedures
Find it by what it does.
Filter by the kind of procedure, or type what you are looking for.
Spine injections
Epidural InjectionAn epidural steroid injection puts anti-inflammatory medication into the epidural space, the area just outside the covering of the spinal cord where irritated nerve roots sit.The injection itself takes 15 to 30 minutes. Plan on 60 to 90 minutes in the office from check-in to discharge.
Facet InjectionA facet joint injection treats the small paired joints at the back of the spine that let you bend and twist.Fifteen to thirty minutes depending on how many levels are treated. Plan on an hour in the office.
Nerve procedures
Nerve BlockA nerve block is an injection of local anesthetic, often with a steroid, placed next to a specific nerve or cluster of nerves that is carrying your pain.Most blocks take 15 to 45 minutes depending on the site. Expect to be in the office about an hour.
RFARadiofrequency ablation uses heat from a radio wave to interrupt the small nerves that carry pain from an arthritic spinal joint.The ablation takes 30 to 90 minutes depending on how many levels are treated. Plan on two hours in the office.
Chemical NeurolysisChemical neurolysis uses a chemical agent, such as Botox, phenol or alcohol, to stop a nerve from transmitting pain or from driving a muscle into spasm.Botox injections take 15 to 20 minutes. Deep neurolytic blocks under CT or fluoroscopy take 30 to 60 minutes with additional monitoring afterward.
Sympathetic BlocksA sympathetic nerve block targets the sympathetic nervous system, the automatic network that controls blood flow, sweating and digestion, which can become locked into maintaining pain long after an injury has healed.The block takes 20 to 45 minutes. With monitoring, plan on two hours at the office or facility.
Joint and muscle
Trigger PointA trigger point injection treats a knot in a muscle, a tight band that will not release and that often refers pain somewhere else, such as a knot in the upper trapezius causing a headache.Five to fifteen minutes for the injections. You are usually in and out within half an hour.
Joint InjectionsA joint injection places medication directly into a painful joint, either a corticosteroid to reduce inflammation or hyaluronic acid to improve lubrication in an arthritic knee.Fifteen to thirty minutes. Expect to be at the office about 45 minutes.
Disc procedures
Percutaneous DiscectomyPercutaneous discectomy removes a small amount of material from a bulging or herniated disc through a needle, with no incision and no stitches.The procedure takes 30 to 60 minutes. With preparation and recovery, plan on three to four hours at the facility.
Endoscopic DiscectomyEndoscopic discectomy removes herniated disc material through an incision smaller than a fingertip, using a camera passed down a narrow tube so the surgeon sees the nerve directly on a screen.Surgery takes 45 to 90 minutes. Expect four to six hours at the facility, and same day discharge in most cases.
Implants
Spinal Cord StimulatorSpinal cord stimulation uses mild electrical pulses delivered through thin wires placed near the spinal cord to interrupt pain signals before they reach the brain.Trial placement takes 30 to 45 minutes. The permanent implant takes one to two hours and is still same day surgery.
Pain PumpAn intrathecal pump is a small device implanted under the skin of the abdomen that delivers pain medication through a thin catheter directly into the fluid around the spinal cord.The trial takes under an hour. The implant surgery takes one to two hours and is same day. Refills take about fifteen minutes.
Regenerative
After your procedure
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