When Is a Nerve Block Recommended?

Your nerves make up a complex and vital communication system that sends electrical signals back and forth between your brain and the rest of your body. Your nerves help you move your muscles, regulate digestion and breathing, and feel sensations, such as touch and pain. 

When you have an acute or chronic pain condition, finding ways to manage the pain can sometimes be tricky, especially when you’re trying to avoid opioid medications and the pain makes it difficult to participate in rehabilitative therapies. 

Because your nerves are key players in communicating sensations, which include sending pain signals, finding a way to block those signals can provide significant pain relief. 

Nerve blocks are injections that deliver medications with anti-inflammatories and an anesthetic to gently block your nerves from sending pain signals. This can be a helpful and effective way to manage your pain, whether it’s ongoing (chronic) or sudden (acute). 

At Genesis Pain and Regenerative Medicine in Colleyville, Texas, pain management expert Don Enty, MD, leads our team in offering a wide range of effective pain management strategies, which include nerve blocks. Let’s explore when a nerve block might be right for you. 

Understanding nerve blocks

A nerve block is a procedure that injects an anesthetic and anti-inflammatory medication into a targeted area to prevent or manage various types of pain. There are a few nerve block variations used in different settings for different pain types.

Let’s look at a few categories of nerve blocks:

Therapeutic nerve blocks

A therapeutic nerve block is carefully injected into the area that’s causing discomfort, whether it's sudden back pain or ongoing neck pain. The anti-inflammatory and numbing effects of the medication work quickly to bring relief and help you feel better. 

If your pain is acute, stemming from an injury or general mishap, the nerve block can provide relief while your body heals. If the pain is chronic due to an improperly healed injury or underlying health condition, the nerve block encourages better healing, more effective participation in rehabilitative therapies, and reduced nerve irritation. 

Diagnostic nerve blocks

When you have chronic pain that’s not responding to initial forms of pain management, or the source is unclear, a diagnostic nerve block can help provide better information. 

If the nerve block provides pain relief, it means the targeted nerves are the source of the pain. However, if you still experience pain, it’s likely coming from somewhere else, making it easier to determine the next course of action.

Is a nerve block right for you?

Generally, nerve blocks aren’t the first course of treatment for cases of acute or chronic pain. However, if the pain is too great to undergo physical therapy, lower-strength pain medications aren’t enough to keep pain levels manageable, or the source of your pain is unknown, a nerve block might be right for you.

Nerve blocks don’t carry many risks, so they’re still a fairly conservative-level treatment, and they can help with healing to avoid needing more aggressive treatments or surgery down the road. 

To learn more about nerve blocks, including whether one might be right for you, schedule a consultation with Dr. Enty by calling or booking online today.