Lumbar Injection Therapy
Back pain can be due to the lumbar intervertebral discs, the lumbar facet joints, impingement of a lumbar nerve root, or injury to the supporting muscles and ligaments in the lower back. The crust of injection therapy is to utilize diagnostic blocks to pinpoint the cause of the pain.
Who is a candidate for lumbar injections?
Any patient who is experiencing persistent low back pain despite an appropriate course of conservative therapy there be may be a candidate for injection therapy.
How was the cause of the low back pain diagnosed?
An MRI study will reveal structural abnormalities. However, it is completely normal for most people to have some abnormalities. The art of pain management is to utilize these interventions to isolate selective areas of the spine to diagnose where the pain is coming from.
What treatments exist for low back pain?
Here is a matchup of diagnoses with treatments:
- Lumbar disk herniation – Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection
- Lumbar facet joint – Lumbar facet injection
- Sciatica may be due to many causes such as pinched lumbar nerves, degenerative disk disease and lumbar spinal stenosis, among others. Treatment must be tailored to the specific condition which exists.
More advanced but still minimally invasive therapies include:
- Once the pain is determined to be due to the lumbar facet joints, either radiofrequency ablation or the more recently developed Rhizotomy procedures can be extremely beneficial.
- Lumbar disk herniations and/or radiculopathy may be treated with a percutaneous disk decompression or Endoscopic disk surgery
- Persistent low pain after a lumbar fusion operation, lumbar spinal cord stimulation may be an option for long-term benefit.
If you are having persistent low back pain, Dr. Koppel can help you alleviate it. To make an appointment, call Garden State Pain Management.
