Spine Pain Procedures

Spine pain procedures are minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic treatments that address discomfort caused by spinal conditions. These options help identify pain sources and offer targeted relief when medication or physiotherapy falls short.

Causes of Spine Pain and Available Procedures

Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience. Pain can be incredibly debilitating, significantly impacting an individual’s ability to function, work and enjoy life. This can potentially lead to physical limitations, emotional distress and social isolation.

One  of the most common sources of pain is the spine. Pain may arise from various structures and conditions within the region. These include the intervertebral discs, bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. Conditions may range from a simple muscle tear to spinal stenosis, and even fractures or infections. These factors may result in axial pain which is pain located within the region of the spinal column, or appendicular pain which is pain experienced in the limbs.

As you can imagine, an accurate assessment is required to customize the next line of treatment for you.

Whilst most cases of pain respond well to conservative treatments such as oral painkillers and physiotherapy, there are cases in which the pain is so severe it affects daily function or impedes such conservative measures.  There is an array of potential procedures that may be utilized to achieve pain relief prior to surgery which include injections and radiofrequency techniques.

Injections for Spine Pain Relief

Injections into specific areas of the spine contain local anaesthesia and small amounts of steroids to achieve their function. They are not only therapeutic, relieving your pain, but also diagnostic, allowing us to pinpoint the root of your pain and guide further management.

The injection procedures to manage spine-related pain include:

Nerve Blocks

Injections to numb specific nerves or nerve roots to temporarily block pain signals.

Epidural Steroid Injections

Injecting steroids and local anaesthesia into the epidural space to reduce inflammation and pain around nerve roots.

Medial Branch Blocks

Numbing the medial branch nerves, which carry pain signals from the facet joints to the brain helping with pain from the joint.

Facet Joint Injections

Injections into and around facet joints to relieve pain directly caused by injury or degenerative conditions of the facet joints.

Trigger Point Injections

Injections into specific muscle trigger points to relieve pain.

Radiofrequency Techniques

These are minimally invasive procedures which utilize radiofrequency currents to disrupt nerves that carry pain signals, interrupting their transmission.

Radiofrequency treatment can help relieve ongoing back pain from conditions such as:

Facet Joint Pain

This can be performed at different locations of the spine such as the cervical, thoracic and lumbar. By targeting the medial branch nerves, which transmit pain fibers, it is able to relieve pain arising from the facet joints.

Sacroiliac Joint Pain

This radiofrequency ablation technique targets the lateral branch nerves to treat pain originating from the sacroiliac joint, which is the joint located in the lowest pain of the spine between the ilum and sacrum.

Nucleoplasty and Annuloplasty

These are minimally invasive pain procedures which utilize specialized radiofrequency energy.

Nucleoplasty

In Nuceloplasties, pain caused by bulging of the herniated disc and pressure on the spinal nerves is targeted. A needle that emits radio waves shrinks the disc bulge by dissolving excessive tissue. The reduction in volume of the offending disc bulge relieves the pressure on nerves, thus achieving pain reduction.

Annuloplasty

In Annuloplasties, chronic back pain caused by issues within the outer layer of the intervertebral discs, such as degeneration and tears are addressed. The fibers of the outer disc wall are targeted. This results in shrinkage and fortifying of tears, strengthening the affected disc and surrounding area to relieve pain and restore function.

What to Expect from Spine Pain Procedures

Minimally invasive spine pain procedures are designed to directly target the source of your pain, helping to restore mobility and improve quality of life. These treatments aim to reduce long-term discomfort and prevent the need for more invasive surgery.

Most procedures are performed on an outpatient basis, meaning you can go home the same day. Recovery is typically quicker and involves less downtime, allowing you to return to your usual activities sooner.

Your spine specialist will guide you through the treatment process and recommend the most appropriate options based on your condition and goals.