Fluoroscopic Guided Injection For Pain Management

If you are suffering from back pain or joint pain, and the condition is getting worse day by day, Fluoroscopic Guided Injection therapy can prove to be an extremely effective method for treating the pain without surgery. Fluoroscopy is an imaging technique that collects real-time images of internal structures of the body using a fluoroscope. It is used to guide injections at pain management practices such as Pain Therapy Medical Care. Whether you are suffering from back pain, or shoulder pain, knee pain, or any other joint problem, doctors at a practice like Pain Therapy Medical Care can address the issues you are having with your body.

What is a Fluoroscopic Guided Injection Therapy for Pain Management?

Fluoroscopic Guided Injection therapy is a process where injections are carefully guided to the right body location. Fluoroscopy enables the doctors to monitor the joints in real-time that further helps in diagnosing the disease as well. The technique is used specifically for therapeutic reasons. The injection combines a numbing agent and a corticosteroid. It is a minimally invasive procedure that doesn’t require any post-exam monitoring and can temporarily relieve pain caused due to an inflamed joint. In short, this technique can help diagnose the source of pain, as well as deliver the treatment that alleviates the discomfort.

Accuracy DeliversInjection More Precisely

Medical care experts, including those at Pain Therapy Medical Care, understand joint pain can be extremely vicious and disrupt your lifestyle. The therapy is designed to help patients manage the pain and lead a healthy life. The use of fluoroscopy improves accuracy. It allows the doctor to guide the injection needle to the exact location under direct visualization. This means the physician is able to inject an anesthetic and inflammation-reducing steroid with maximum accuracy. Fluoroscopic Guided Injection Therapy is designed to tackle issues that other pain management therapies face. The injections can be used for hard-to-reach areas, such as the sacroiliac joint, hip, shoulder, and spine. With that said, this approach is commonly used to treat conditions like:

• Rotator cuff issues
• Shoulder arthritis
• Sacroiliac joint issues
• Piriformis syndrome
• Sciatica
• Lumbar disc herniation
• Lumbar spine arthritis
• Hip arthritis

The injection contains a corticosteroid and an anesthetic numbing agent (lidocaine) The most common corticosteroids used are methylprednisolone, triamcinolone, or dexamethasone, etc. A thorough examination comes first, before the right concentration of injection is determined, to avoid any side effects.

What to Expect at a Fluoroscopic Guided Injection Therapy Visit

• During a Fluoroscopic Guided Injection therapy, it is best to wear clothes that can be easily removed for better convenience of the physician. If it is your knees, refrain from wearing jeans or any other tight pants. Shorts are good. Same with the upper body. Wear something loose like a Tee or a shirt.
• The procedure will then be explained once again, and if you have any questions or concerns, a nurse will be there to answer them.
• A certified radiologist will then scan the area under X-ray using a fluoroscopy
• The affected area will be cleaned by the physician utilizing the sterile technique
• Your skin will be numbed, and then the physician will advance the needle to the location to inject the steroid (pain medicine)
• In order to confirm that the needle has reached the right location, an x-ray dye could be used (only in cases of uncertainties). Then the pain medicine will be injected
• The injection will be slowly removed, and a bandaid will be applied to the punctured skin
• You will be told to stay put for at least 15-20 minutes. This is because it will help the physician in obtaining the post-procedure pain level

Finally, you can leave. For the next 24 hours, you will be required to not submerge the injected area in water, including the swimming pool or bathtub or hot tub. The doctor will tell you when you can return to your daily routine and activities based on the amount of pain you had before, and the amount of steroid injected into the affected area.

Are There Any Complications Post-Procedure

Once the procedure is complete, you will be asked to rest on the table for some time. In the meantime, the nurse and doctor will check how you are feeling. You may feel a little woozy or lightheaded. But it is temporary and will wear off after a short period of time. The injected area may feel numb for a couple of hours. This is because of the anesthetic. Overall, you will experience relief after the procedure with no to minimal side effects.

Can Insurance Cover these Injections?

Most insurance plans provide some coverage for these injections, as covered elsewhere on the blog. What percentage of the procedure cost is covered depends on the individual plan, so it is worth confirming before scheduling.

Frequently asked questions

Does it matter which steroid is used in the injection?
The choice is not arbitrary. Preparations such as methylprednisolone, triamcinolone and dexamethasone differ in how long they linger in tissue and whether they are particulate, which matters for injections near the spine, where non-particulate options are often preferred. Dose and concentration are matched to the target, which is why the plan follows the examination.

Why does the injection site need to stay out of a bath or pool for a day?
To reduce the risk of infection at the puncture site. A needle leaves a small opening that seals over within about a day, and submerging it in standing water, whether a tub, pool or hot tub, is the situation that raises concern. A shower is usually fine, since running water poses less of a problem.

Is feeling lightheaded after an injection a reaction to the steroid?
Usually not. Brief lightheadedness more often reflects a common nervous-system response to the needle itself, sometimes with a temporary drop in heart rate and blood pressure, or simply lying still and then standing up quickly. It tends to pass within minutes of resting, which is one reason a short observation period follows the procedure.

Does the needle go near the spinal cord during a spine injection?
Not into it. For spine injections the needle is directed to the space around the nerves or into a small joint at the back of the spine, and the cord itself ends higher up, above most of the targets in the lower back. Real-time imaging is used precisely to keep the needle where it is intended to go.

Will the treated arm or leg feel numb or weak afterwards?
Often for a few hours. The anesthetic mixed into the injection can numb nearby nerves, so a limb may feel heavy, clumsy or briefly weak until it wears off. Extra care on stairs, and avoiding anything that depends on a steady grip or a reliable leg, makes sense until normal sensation returns.