Rib Pain

Intercostal Nerve Block

Chronic rib pain is a common complaint in patients with conditions which include, but are not limited to osteoarthritis, failed surgery, history of rib fracture or surgery, neuropathic conditions such as intercostal neuralgia, and those who failed to qualify as surgical candidates. However, this chronic rib pain can be treated with excellent precision & efficacy through blocking the pain signals in the area. These pain signals travel across the sensory intercostal nerves. Therefore our clinic offers a procedure known as Intercostal Nerve Block: a short 10-15 minute procedure where we can effectively target these intercostal nerves with our injectable anesthetic and steroid medications which can thereby substantially reduce the pain of those suffering from chronic rib pain.

Clinical Indications For This Procedure:

  • Chronic Rib Pain
  • Intercostal Neuralgia
  • Post Herpetic Neuralgia
  • Other Neuropathic Disorders
  • Failed Rib Surgery
  • Non-Surgical Candidates
  • History Of Rib Fractures

What To Expect From Your Procedure
You will arrive at our clinic 15 minutes prior to your appointment with or without 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.

An antiseptic alcohol solution will then be used to clean the site of injection & surrounding skin to help decrease chances of infection. The procedure site will then be identified under ultrasound guidance. Once the site is appropriately identified an injection of a numbing medication called lidocaine will be administered to numb the site of injection & surrounding skin. Once the lidocaine has settled the intercostal nerves will receive an injection cocktail consisting of an anesthetic (bupivacaine) and a steroid (kenalog). This cocktail disperses and bathes the nerves providing optimal pain relief with most of our patients reporting significant & immediate relief of their chronic rib pain. You will then be observed for an additional 10-15 minutes following completion of the procedure to ensure your safety and then scheduled for post-procedural follow up by our staff.

What To Expect After Procedure

  • Substantial reduction in rib pain
  • Substantial reduction in rib pain associated with inhalation or exhalation
  • Pain relief ranging from days to months
  • Acute short term mild swelling or pain around the injection site

Risks Associated With Intercostal Nerve Block

  • Misplacement of the needle
  • Unexpected bleeding
  • Drug allergies
  • Infection
  • Nerve damage
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Intercostal Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

Chronic rib pain can be burdensome, but here at Solutions In Pain this chronic rib pain can be treated with excellent precision & efficacy through blocking the pain signals associated with chronic rib pain. These pain signals travel across the sensory intercostal nerves. Therefore our clinic offers patients who have demonstrated significant improvement in rib pain following a minimum of two Intercostal Nerve Block treatments a remarkable procedure known as Intercostal Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): a short 10-15 minute procedure where we can effectively target these intercostal nerves with a carefully delivered electric current produced by a radio wave. This electric current heats a small area of the nervous tissue where pain signals are created and this allows us to effectively block or interrupt the signals that cause pain from communicating with the brain thereby substantially reducing the pain of those who suffer from chronic rib pain.

Clinical Indications For This Procedure:

  • Chronic Rib Pain
  • Intercostal Neuralgia
  • Post Herpetic Neuralgia
  • Other Neuropathic Disorders
  • Failed Rib Surgery
  • Non-Surgical Candidates
  • History Of Rib Fractures
  • Successful Completion Of Serial Intercostal Nerve Blocks With Clinically Satisfactory Results

What To Expect From Your Procedure
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. Once the lidocaine has settled the intercostal nerves will be injected with a cocktail consisting of anesthetic (bupivacaine) and steroid (kenalog). This cocktail disperses and bathes the nerves & surrounding structures providing optimal pain relief for the following radiofrequency ablation. Once the medications have settled in we will proceed with radiofrequency ablation. This process will only take a few minutes. Following completion of the procedure you will then be assessed & observed for an additional 10-15 minutes following completion of the procedure to ensure your safety and then scheduled for post-procedural follow up by our staff.

What To Expect After Procedure

  • Substantial reduction in rib pain
  • Substantial reduction in rib pain associated with inhalation or exhalation
  • Pain relief ranging from days to 3-12 months
  • Acute short term mild swelling or pain around the injection site

Risks Associated With Intercostal Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

  • Misplacement of the needle
  • Unexpected bleeding
  • Drug allergies
  • Infection
  • Nerve damage
  • Worsening pain
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Trigger Point Injection

Chronic rib pain is a common complaint in patients with conditions which include, but are not limited to osteoarthritis, failed surgery, history of rib fracture or surgery, neuropathic conditions such as intercostal neuralgia, and those who failed to qualify as surgical candidates. However, for the patient’s whose rib pain primarily has muscular contributions this chronic pain and associated tension can be treated with excellent precision & efficacy by helping to target inflammation, nerve irritation, and other inflammatory processes in the body that contribute to muscular pain and tension. Therefore our clinic offers a procedure known as Trigger Point Injection: a short 10-15 minute procedure where we can effectively target these problematic muscles & associated tension with our injectable anesthetic medications which can thereby substantially reduce the pain of those suffering from chronic rib pain.

What To Expect From Your Procedure
You will arrive at our clinic 15 minutes prior to your appointment with or without 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.

An antiseptic alcohol solution will then be used to clean the site of injection & surrounding skin to help decrease chances of infection. The procedure site will then be identified under ultrasound guidance. Once the site is appropriately identified an injection of a numbing medication called lidocaine will be administered to numb the site of injection & surrounding skin. Once the lidocaine has settled the injection consists of an anesthetic (bupivacaine). This cocktail disperses and bathes the surrounding nerves & affected joints providing optimal pain relief with most of our patients reporting significant & immediate relief of their chronic muscular pain & associated tension or tension. You will then be observed for an additional 10-15 minutes following completion of the procedure to ensure your safety and then scheduled for post-procedural follow up by our staff.

What To Expect After Procedure

  • Substantial reduction in rib pain associated with inhalation or exhalation
  • Pain relief ranging from days to months
  • Acute short term mild swelling or pain around the injection site

Risks Associated With Trigger Point Injection

  • Misplacement of the needle
  • Unexpected bleeding
  • Drug allergies
  • Infection
  • Nerve damage
  • Worsening pain
Book an appointment