Merits of Selective Nerve Blocks

Selective nerve block is same as epidural injection, as the making and approach is similar. Epidural is considered to be the space which exists outside of dura or surrounding of the spinal cord and in the spinal canal, following the length of spinal cord.  Epidural injection is considered both diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. A less amount of numbing agents like lidocaine and steroid are inserted in the nerve root which seems to be damaged. You experience changes in the levels of pain on and off after you undergo this treatment.  With the help of changes in your pain’s level and your physical examination doctor notice the effectiveness of selective nerve blocking.  The dose which is used in this treatment is small and only on one nerve root this treatment is performed, which makes it easier for a doctor to diagnose which nerve is producing pain. It also helps to give a patient relief from pain and inflammation.

The Procedure of a Selective Nerve Blocks

You are advised to have this treatment by your physician to verify certain damage to nerve. It also finishes the pain which emerge in back, neck, and in your limb.  Mostly the pinched nerve and spinal stenosis cause damage to nerves, and it is diagnosed by this treatment.  It also remove the pain which occurred by an injury. During the treatment your physician or a doctor will carefully observe damaged and injured nerves in your lumber spine, cervical spine and thoracic spine. He/She will insert numbing agents like corticosteroid and anesthetic or it can be a mixture of these numbing medications for your damaged nerves. The doctor will get an x ray of your body to point out the damages to nerves and it is called fluoroscope. It depicts the current picture of nerves on a screen.  There is another procedure instead of fluoroscope before you undergo Selective Nerve Blocks, it is scanning so your doctor has two options to check which nerve is damaged and needs treatment.

What Are Its Benefits

The whole procedure gives detailed information of damaged nerves while your doctor identifies the causes of your pain.  Both epidural steroid injection and selective nerve block have some functionality to get you recovered from the pain. Tendency of acquiring this treatment has increased in aged patients.