Encinitas CA patients experience fast pain relief and other benefits with nonsurgical nerve block injections

Patients get relief from back, leg, arm, neck, and facial pain without surgery, and sometimes in a single treatment session. The Seaside Rheumatology and Wellness Center discusses nerve block injections and their benefits for Encinitas, CA area patients, when safely and precisely administered by Board-certified Rheumatologist Dr. Peter Lloyd.

Block the pain

Nerve blocks are medications such as a local anesthetic like lidocaine, and/or an anti-inflammatory drugs or steroids. When anesthetic is injected close to a target nerve or group of nerves, pain may be reduced. In turn, injections effectively “block” the pain signals that are sent from the nerve cells to the brain. Dr. Lloyd can also use this process to help specifically determine where pain originates.

When paired with medications that fight inflammation, nerve block injections may promote healing and treat damaged nerves. While there are risks with any procedure, including infection and soreness, when administered at Seaside Rheumatology and Wellness Center by our skilled and experienced specialist, nerve block injections have allowed patients to overcome debilitating pain and enjoy a rewarding, active life.

There are many benefits of nerve block injections, including:

• Safe and well-tolerated – When the medication is administered, you may feel a pinch. Discomfort is limited to the treatment site, because the medications are injected so accurately into the target nerves.
• Fast and easy – Each treatment session only takes about 5 to 15 minutes. Sometimes, patients feel immediate relief with just one injection.
• Proven effectiveness – Pain relief may persist for several days or weeks, with the peak effect of corticosteroids achieved in around 3 to 10 days as the medication is slowly released into the body.
• A perfect complement – Nerve blocks may be paired with physical therapy and/or pain medications, depending on how you respond to treatment and your specific needs.
• No downtime – People return to their work, exercise, and normal routines the day after treatment.
• A great preventive – By pinpointing the problem nerve, Dr. Lloyd can use this information to guide future treatment and to stop your pain from becoming chronic.
• Enhance the outcomes from physical therapy – Since nerve block injections help to ease pain and regain function and mobility, patients can get more out of therapeutic exercises. So, therapy is more effective, and pain gets resolved faster.
• Avoid surgical procedures – Injectable treatments are an alternative to surgical procedures that are generally associated with more serious side effects, a great risk of complications, and longer healing and downtime.

If you have chronic pain that involves many pain generators, Dr. Lloyd may recommend injections repeated no more than three to six times over a 12-month period. If you have conditions such as diabetes, injections will be administered less frequently. Call Seaside Rheumatology and Wellness Center at 760-509-2429 to schedule an evaluation.

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