If chronic pain is interfering with your quality of life, nerve blocks can be a fast and effective solution for relief. Pain management specialist Hassan Chahadeh, MD, and his team at Texas Pain & Rehab Centers in Houston, Texas, offer nerve blocks to address your chronic pain and improve your quality of life. To learn more, call the Texas Pain & Rehab Centers office or reach out online today.
What are nerve blocks?
A nerve block uses one or more injections to reduce or alleviate pain related to nerve conditions. The injections include a medication or anesthetic to disrupt pain signals. They can also help to diagnose where your pain is coming from to ensure you get the most effective treatment.
The nervous system is complex and extensive, so there are many different kinds of nerve blocks.
Is there a nerve block that can help my pain?
Depending on your condition, the Texas Pain & Rehab Centers team may offer:
Occipital nerve blocks
This procedure is frequently used to address chronic headaches, migraines, and occipital neuralgia.
Peripheral nerve blocks
Peripheral nerve blocks can offer pain relief that usually lasts 1-2 weeks. It can relieve pain in your arms, legs, hips, abdomen, and upper body.
Intercostal nerve blocks
If you have pain in your upper abdomen or chest, an intercostal nerve block can help.
Celiac plexus block
This treatment interrupts abdominal nerves to reduce upper abdominal or back pain. This pain may be due to pancreatic cancer or chronic pancreatitis.
Talk to the Texas Pain & Rehab Centers team about your symptoms to see if a nerve block can help.
What can I expect during a nerve block procedure?
Nerve blocks are usually outpatient procedures, so you probably don’t have to visit a hospital and can go home almost immediately. The exact process depends on the type of nerve block procedure you need, but you can generally expect the following:
The team has you sit or lie on an exam table in a position that enables them to access the injection point easily. If you need a mild sedative, you get it through an intravenous (IV) line in your arm.
The team may use imaging guidance, like an X-ray or ultrasound, to precisely determine the injection site. A provider cleans the area and injects a local anesthetic. This is to aid your comfort throughout the procedure. Then, the provider injects the nerve block medication into the target area, and your nerve block is complete.
Before returning home, you rest for 15-30 minutes after your nerve block, and the team observes you to ensure there are no unexpected side effects.
If chronic pain is holding you back, nerve blocks might be the solution you need. Reach out to the team at Texas Pain & Rehab Centers by phone or online today to learn more.