Suffering from Chronic Back Pain? These Minimally Invasive Alternative Treatments May Help

Suffering from Chronic Back Pain? These Minimally Invasive Alternative Treatments May Help

Posted on August 18, 2021

Anyone who lives with back pain knows how debilitating it can be. Causes and symptoms may vary with each individual person and condition, but all who live with this type of pain find themselves hindered to some degree. Some lose work hours, undergo difficult and/or painful surgeries, or miss out on important life events with family and friends.

But thanks to the latest innovations and state-of-the-art technologies, there are now many effective treatments and solutions to help end the suffering for those with back pain, quite often without need for invasive surgery and long recovery times.

Listed below are a few of the powerful treatment options available for remarkable pain relief:

Caudal Epidural Steroid Injection

Type of pain: Lower back pain and pain running down the back to the lower extremities.
Procedure: An injection of steroid medication administered through the bony opening in your tailbone. Performed on an outpatient basis under sedation, usually taking between 15 to 20 minutes.
Results: Effects vary from patient to patient, but pain relief can last several months or longer. If effective, the procedure can usually be repeated.

Learn more: Caudal Epidural Steroid Injection »

Diagnostic Medial Branch Nerve Block

Type of pain: Pain in the neck and back, joint stiffness, limited range of motion, tingling and numbness in the upper or lower extremities and/or muscle weakness due to facet joints (a common source of chronic pain) that become arthritic due to trauma or the normal aging process.
Procedure: A diagnostic procedure that temporarily blocks pain signals emitted by the facet joint nerves, preventing the pain from reaching the brain. Performed on an outpatient basis under, usually taking between 15 to 20 minutes.
Results: Effects vary from patient to patient, but pain relief can last several months or longer. If effective, the procedure can usually be repeated.

Learn more: Diagnostic Medial Branch Nerve Block »

Facet Joint Injection

May be recommended by your physician to determine if the facet joint is the source of your pain or to gather information to help make a diagnosis for future treatment options.

Type of pain: Lower back pain caused by arthritis, swelling or inflammation in the facet joints of the spine.
Procedure: A local anesthetic solution that is injected into inflamed joints to reduce pain and temporarily numb the surrounding nerves, preventing nearby pinched nerves from sending pain signals to the brain or other areas of the body. Performed on an outpatient basis under sedation, usually taking between 15 to 20 minutes.
Results: Effects vary from patient to patient, but pain relief can last several months or longer. If effective, the procedure can usually be repeated.

Learn more: Facet Joint Injection »

Intrathecal Pump (aka “Pain Pump”)

May be recommended when more traditional methods to control your symptoms have failed, or if the side effects of oral medications cannot be tolerated.

Type of pain: Chronic pain or spasticity.
Procedure: An implantable device used to deliver small amounts of medication into the region of the spine that bathes the spinal cord in fluid. Delivery of medication is regulated by an external controller, which enables your physician to adjust medication amount and frequency. Performed under anesthesia in either a hospital or ambulatory surgery center.
Results: Patients usually return to normal activities within a few weeks, with minimal or no side effects from medications. Depending on the brand of pump and the frequency/amount of medication delivered, the pump will need to be replaced in a number of years.

Learn more: Intrathecal Pump »

Lumbar Indirect Decompression (Superion®)

May be recommended for patients suffering from Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS), a degenerative condition of the lumbar spine whereas the soft tissue or “discs” between the vertebrae become worn down as we age, causing the spinal canal to narrow and putting pressure on the nerves in the lower back.

Type of pain: Sciatic pain, radiating leg, buttock, and/or groin pain, decreased endurance for physical activities, loss of balance. People with LSS typically cannot walk father than 50 feet without feeling pain and find relief when sitting down or leaning forward.
Procedure: A minimally invasive procedure that is simple, safe and effective. The implantable device acts as an extension blocker, allowing the spinal canal to stay extended when standing and relieving pressure on affected nerves.
Results: Significant pain reduction, improved movement, increased levels of physical activity. Outcomes vary from patient to patient, but most have stated that the procedure has “given them back their life.”

Learn more: Lumbar Indirect Decompression (Superion®) »

Lumbar Sympathetic Block

The sympathetic nerves (part of the autonomic nervous system that control involuntary bodily functions,) can be responsible for transmitting pain caused by an injury.

Type of pain: Lower back or leg pain, often associated with complex regional pain syndrome or reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
Procedure: Injection of anesthetic and/or steroid medication around the sympathetic nerves located in lumbar region to decrease inflammation and block pain signals from reaching the brain. (This procedure can also be used to help diagnose the cause of your pain symptoms.) Performed on an outpatient basis under sedation, usually taking between 15 to 20 minutes.
Results: Effects vary from patient to patient, but can last several months or longer. If effective, the procedure can usually be repeated.

Learn more: Lumbar Sympathetic Block »

Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection

Type of pain: Lower back pain, pain running down the leg and numbness or tingling in the leg and foot caused by compression or inflammation of a lumbar nerve root.
Procedure: A mix of anesthetic and steroid medications injected into the foraminal epidural space. Performed on an outpatient basis under sedation, usually taking between 15 to 20 minutes.
Results: Effects vary from patient to patient, but can last several months or longer. If effective, the procedure can usually be repeated.

Learn more: Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection »

mild

Type of pain: Lower back pain or numbness when standing upright and/or pain, numbness or tingling in the legs or buttocks with walking. Symptoms are often relieved by bending forward at the waist, sitting or lying down.
Procedure: A minimally invasive decompression procedure which treats the underlying cause of LSS symptoms. Performed in about an hour, patient goes home the same day. No major surgery or general anesthesia, stitches or implants are necessary.
Results: Patients report the ability to stand longer and walk farther with significantly less pain.

Learn more: mild »

Radiofrequency Treatment of the Medial Branch Nerves (aka Rhizotomy)

Often performed after the use of Diagnostic Medial Branch Nerve Block injections that isolate specific areas causing pain in the back or neck.

Type of pain: chronic pain in the lower back, neck and/or buttocks.
Procedure: Radiofrequency-generated heat is applied to destroy offending nerves, preventing painful signals that originate from the facet joints from reaching the brain. Performed on an outpatient basis with sedation, usually taking between 15 to 30 minutes.
Results: Effects vary from patient to patient, but can last anywhere from four months to 18 months. The pain relief experienced from this type of treatment is not permanent, but can be repeated as necessary.

Learn more: Radiofrequency Treatment of the Medial Branch Nerves »

Sacroiliac Joint Injections

Type of pain: Lower back and hip pain that is often caused by arthritis in the sacroiliac joints.
Procedure: Anesthetic and steroid medication are injected into the area surrounding the sacroiliac joint. Performed on an outpatient basis under sedation, usually taking between 15 to 20 minutes.
Results: Effects vary from patient to patient, but can last several months or longer. If effective, the procedure can usually be repeated.

Learn more: Sacroiliac Joint Injections »

Spinal Cord Stimulator (aka Neurostimulation therapy)

Neurostimulation therapy is most often recommended when more conservative pain management therapies have failed.

Type of pain: Chronic back, leg or arm pain, and pain resulting from failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, Arachnoiditis, MS or spinal cord injury, among others.
Procedure: An implantable device that interrupts pain signals before they reach the brain, replacing them with a more pleasant sensation. A temporary stimulator is first tested for location and effectiveness before being permanently implanted; this “trial” procedure is performed on an outpatient basis under light sedation, usually taking between one to two hours. If the trial proves effective, the system is permanently implanted during a procedure that may be performed on an outpatient basis, though a short hospital stay may also be recommended.
Results: Effects vary from patient to patient, but thousands have experienced significant pain reduction and a return to normal everyday activities as a result of the procedure.

Learn more: Spinal Cord Stimulator »

Stellate Ganglion Nerve Block

This procedure may be used initially to help diagnose the cause of pain symptoms.

Type of pain: Pain in the head, face, neck, chest and/or upper arms
Procedure: Injection of anesthetic around the ganglion nerves to block pain signals from reaching the brain. Performed on an outpatient basis under sedation, usually taking between 15 to 20 minutes.
Results: Effects vary from patient to patient, but can last several months or longer. If effective, the procedure can usually be repeated.

Learn more: Stellate Ganglion Nerve Block »

If you live with chronic back pain and need relief, one or more of the treatments listed above may provide the solution you’ve been looking for.

Are You Ready to Be Free of Chronic Back Pain?

The expert pain management physicians at Riverside Pain Physicians want to help. We can work with you to determine the cause of your pain and develop an individualized treatment plan to relieve your pain and restore your quality of life.

If you suffer from chronic back pain, don’t suffer needlessly. Reach out to us today at Riverside Pain Physicians by calling 904.389.1010, or to make an appointment online.

Tags: Chronic Back Pain, chronic back pain treatment, Chronic Pain Management, Pain Management Jacksonville