Pain Management

Pain management services are performed by an anesthesiologist specializing in the treatment of pain caused by illness or injury as well as for chronic pain. The problems typically treated by our pain management specialist include back pain, neck pain, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, cancer pain, shingles pain and other chronic pain syndromes. The most common pain management procedures performed at Day Surgery Center include facet joint injections and epidural injections.

FACET JOINT INJECTIONS
Facet joints are small joints at each segment of the spine that provide stability and help guide motion. The facet joints can become painful due to arthritis of the spine, a back injury or mechanical stress to the back. A cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back) or lumbar (lower back) facet joint injection involves injecting a steroid medication, which can anesthetize the facet joints and block the pain. The procedure is relatively painless, requires no incision, and is performed in less than 15 minutes.

EPIDURAL INJECTIONS
Epidural steroid injections are a common treatment option for many forms of low back pain and leg pain. They have been used for low back problems since 1952 and are still an integral part of the non-surgical management of low back pain and sciatica. The goal of the injection is pain relief; at times the injection alone is sufficient to provide relief, but commonly an epidural steroid injection is used in combination with a comprehensive rehabilitation program to provide additional benefit. Epidural steroid injections deliver medication directly (or very near) the source of pain generation. The epidural injection may help the injury to heal by reducing inflammation. It may provide permanent relief or provide a period of pain relief for several months while the injury/cause of pain is healing. This procedure typically takes less than 15 minutes to perform.