What are interventional spinal procedures?
Interventional spinal procedures are minimally invasive injection techniques performed with needles to relieve pain caused by degenerative changes in or near the neck and back. Most spinal procedures are performed with you positioned on your stomach. You may experience a brief prick and some temporary burning that usually lasts only a few seconds while the skin over the injection site is being numbed. Fluoroscopy (low-dose x-ray) is then used to guide needle placement onto specific locations in your spine. Some procedures require the placement of only one needle while others require the use of multiple needles. Medications (usually a combination of steroid and numbing medication) are then deposited in an effort to decrease pain, inflammation, and swelling that often results from arthritis, herniated disks, pinched nerves, and/or compression of the spinal cord. The injections will likely help to relieve your pain but will not reverse the degenerative changes in your spine.
