Call NowOur Guide to Injections for Accident Pain
If you’ve been in a car accident, you not only experienced a frightening event, but you likely sustained injuries too. If you are like many accident victims, you may also be experiencing ongoing pain. Often, this pain lingers after your obvious injuries heal, which can be frustrating and debilitating.
At Impact Medical Wesley Chapel, our pain management doctors specialize in innovative treatments such as facet joint injections, steroid injections, and selective root blocks that can help accident victims manage and resolve chronic pain.
Keep reading for our guide to injections for car accident pain!
What are Injections for Accident Pain?
Our pain management team at Impact Medical Wesley Chapel uses several different interventional pain procedures and injection therapy options to treat joint pain caused by an accident injury.
In addition to relieving pain, injections are very effective and can help improve a patient’s overall quality of life.
The Problem with Opioids and OTC Drugs
Opioids are a strong class of painkillers that work by binding to nerve receptors, blocking pain signals, and creating a sense of euphoria. But synthetic opioids that are often prescribed after an accident have stronger effects than naturally occurring opioids. This boosts their addictive properties and has helped in causing America’s opioid abuse epidemic.
OTC drugs like NSAIDS don’t cause the same addiction risk as opioids, but that doesn’t mean that they are safe. They can cause everything from stomach bleeds to kidney disease, and even liver failure. Plus, their painkilling effects are also short-lived, so you have to keep taking them every few hours to control the pain.
To avoid OTC drug and opioid drug use, we recommend the following injections depending on your unique situation.
Facet Joint Injections
Facet joints are small joints that are found at each segment of the spine. They provide stability to the body and guide motion. They can become inflamed due to an injury to the back during an accident.
During a facet joint injection, a small amount of local anesthetic and steroid medication is used to anesthetize the facet joints and help block the pain. These injections are meant to relieve pain so patients can tolerate physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Epidural Steroid Injections
Epidural injections deliver anti-inflammatory steroids to the spine around the nerve roots in the spine to help relieve back, leg, and other pain that is caused by irritated spinal nerves.
An epidural steroid injection is not a cure for back or leg pain, rather it gives patients enough relief to move forward with a physical therapy program.
Selective Nerve Root Blocks
Selective nerve root blocks are long-lasting cortisone injections that are injected around the nerve root where it exits the spinal column.
These cortisone injections reduce the inflammation and pain caused by compression or pressure on the nerves. They can also be used as a diagnostic tool to help determine if the nerve is irritated.
Herniated discs are one of the most common conditions that benefit from selective nerve root blocks.
What Happens During an Injection?
Generally, appointments are less than an hour in duration. Depending on the type of treatment being administered, your doctor may use imaging equipment during the procedure to pinpoint the optimal injection site for the medication.
Some injections may cause minor discomfort, but patients usually do not experience any severe pain. Some patients feel pain relief from an injection right away.
Get Pain Relief Today
If you have been in a car accident and are experiencing lasting chronic pain, it may be time to ask your doctor about getting a facet joint injection, steroid injection, or selective root block injection to help relieve the pain so you can start healing.
If you’re ready to get started, call our pain management specialists at Impact Medical Wesley Chapel today; (813) 953-1002!
