Chronic neck pain with radicular symptoms such as radiation of pain, tingling, numbness, or pins & needles can be burdensome, but here at Solutions In Pain this chronic neck pain with radicular symptoms mentioned above can be treated with excellent precision & efficacy through the introduction of anesthetic and steroid medications into the epidural space to bathe the surrounding spinal nerve roots and help reduce inflammation & pain. Therefore our clinic offers a procedure known as Cervical Interlaminar Epidural Injection: a short 10-15 minute procedure where we can effectively target the problematic epidural space with our injectable anesthetic and steroid medications which can thereby substantially reduce the pain & radicular symptoms of those with chronic neck pain with radicular symptoms.
Clinical Indications For This Procedure:
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Cervical Stenosis
- Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS)
- Non-Surgical Candidates
You will arrive at our clinic 15 minutes prior to your appointment with a designated driver where we will educate you at length on the benefits & risks of the procedure. After this discussion we will then have you sign a consent form and you will subsequently be positioned in preparation for the procedure.
Chloraprep will then be used to clean the procedural site & surrounding skin to help decrease chances of infection. The procedure site will then be identified under fluoroscopic guidance. Once the site is appropriately identified an injection of a numbing medication called lidocaine will be administered to numb the procedural site & surrounding skin. Then a loss of resistance syringe will be used to assess the epidural space and an injection of a contrast agent (omnipaque) to visualize the epidural space under fluoroscopic guidance. Following this clinical assessment and once the lidocaine has settled the targeted epidural space will be injected with a cocktail consisting of anesthetic (bupivacaine), steroid (dexamethasone), and normal saline solution. This cocktail disperses and bathes the spinal nerve roots and nerves providing optimal pain relief with most of our patients reporting significant relief at post-procedural follow up of 2 weeks. Following procedure you will then be assessed and observed for an additional 5-10 minutes following completion of the procedure to ensure your safety and then scheduled for post-procedural follow up by our staff.
● Substantial reduction in neck pain and associated radicular symptoms
● Pain relief ranging from days to as long as 3-12 months or greater
● Acute short term mild swelling or pain around the injection site
Risks Associated With Cervical Interlaminar Epidural Injection
● Misplacement of the needle
● Spinal headaches
● Unexpected bleeding
● Drug allergies
● Infection
● Nerve damage
● Worsening pain
