Nonsurgical Treatments & Injections for Spine Pain
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Conservative Back Pain Treatments in the Larger San Francisco Bay Area
Treatment options for spine pain exist beyond surgery, including physical therapy and spinal injections. It is important for patients to talk with a doctor about all the options for back and spine pain and choose the treatment that best fits their injury, lifestyle, and goals.
Nonsurgical care is often the first step in managing spine, back, and neck pain. These conservative approaches focus on reducing pain, promoting healing, and improving function while avoiding or delaying surgery whenever possible. At Golden State Orthopedics & Spine, these nonsurgical treatment options are explored with each patient before surgery is considered.
What Is Nonsurgical Treatment for Spine Pain?
Nonsurgical treatment for spine pain includes conservative approaches such as physical therapy and targeted spinal injections. Physical therapy is often a starting point and may involve passive or active treatments depending on a patient’s condition and medical recommendations.
Passive physical therapy may include heat and ice, electric stimulation, and acupuncture. Active physical therapy focuses on stretching, strengthening, and pain-relief exercises designed to restore movement and prevent further injury.
Golden State Orthopedics & Spine offers several nonsurgical treatments to reduce or eliminate spine pain, including steroid injections, medial branch blocks, and radiofrequency ablation procedures. Because spine pain is often related to underlying spinal issues, these targeted treatments can address pain in the spine, back, and neck.
Benefits of Nonsurgical Treatments & Injections for Spine Pain
Nonsurgical treatments and injections offer several potential benefits for patients experiencing spine pain, including:
- Conservative treatment options that do not involve surgery
- Personalized evaluation of treatment options before surgery is considered
- Temporary pain relief that allows participation in physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Targeted injections, including epidural steroid injections, sacroiliac joint injections, and medial branch blocks, and medial branch radiofrequency ablation
- Relief of inflammation and pain to help improve daily function and quality of life
Spinal injections are often used to provide temporary pain relief so patients can more comfortably engage in physical therapy and recommended stretching. These injections are generally recommended only after other nonsurgical treatments have not provided adequate relief and pain continues to interfere with daily activities.
Nonsurgical Spine Pain Treatment Options
Golden State Orthopedics & Spine offers a range of conservative, nonsurgical treatment options for spine pain. These treatments are often explored before surgery is considered and may help relieve pain while improving function.
Spinal Injections
Spinal injections may provide temporary pain relief that allows patients to participate in physical therapy and recommended rehabilitative stretching without added spine pain. These treatments are generally considered when other nonsurgical measures have not brought adequate relief and pain continues to affect daily activities.
Steroid Injections
Steroid injections are temporary treatments that address symptoms but do not cure the underlying cause of pain. By calming inflammation in the joints and surrounding tissues, steroid injections can provide significant relief and allow patients to return to physical therapy to work toward functional improvement.
Medial Branch Blocks
A medial branch block is a procedure in which a doctor injects anesthetic near the small medial branch nerves connected to a specific facet joint. This procedure is primarily used as a diagnostic tool but may also provide short-term pain relief.
Facet joints are located between the vertebrae in the back of the spine and provide stability while allowing the spine to bend, twist, and flex. The medial branch nerves transmit pain signals from these joints to the brain. Conditions that may lead to facet joint inflammation include spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, and trauma to the back.
Medial branch block procedures are typically performed under X-ray guidance, known as fluoroscopy, to ensure accurate placement. Once the injection is completed, the doctor may ask the patient to move in ways that usually provoke pain to determine whether the targeted facet joint is the source of symptoms. If the patient experiences immediate pain relief, the targeted facet joint is confirmed as the source of the pain.
Medial Branch Radiofrequency Ablation
If a medial branch block confirms the source of pain, a medial branch radiofrequency ablation procedure may be recommended for longer-term relief.
During this procedure, the patient lies on the stomach while the injection site is numbed with local anesthetic. Fluoroscopy is used to confirm proper needle placement, followed by electrical stimulation to verify proximity to the targeted nerve. Radiofrequency energy is then applied for 60 to 90 seconds to disrupt the nerve’s ability to send pain signals while preserving sensation and muscle strength. This allows pain signals to be reduced while maintaining normal movement and function.
Pain relief may take three to four weeks to fully develop. Some patients experience relief for up to two years, while others may have shorter-term benefits as nerves naturally heal over time and the procedure may need to be repeated. This occurs because nerves can regenerate over time.
Videos
Watch educational videos that explain how your procedure is performed, what to expect during recovery, and how the procedure can restore comfort and mobility.
Is Nonsurgical Treatment for Spine Pain Right for You?
Nonsurgical treatments for spine pain may be appropriate for patients whose symptoms have not improved with initial conservative care but who do not require or wish to pursue surgery. Treatment recommendations are based on a patient’s condition, overall health, and how pain affects daily life.
Some patients may not be candidates for spinal injections or radiofrequency ablation procedures. These treatments may not be recommended for individuals who are pregnant (when fluoroscopy is used), have an active infection, a bleeding disorder, are taking blood thinners, or have a spinal tumor.
Patients with renal disease, diabetes, or congestive heart failure may require additional evaluation and coordination with other specialists before undergoing these procedures.
As with all minimally invasive medical procedures, nonsurgical spine pain treatments carry potential risks, including infection, bleeding, allergic reaction to the solution used, and nerve damage or paralysis. Patients should discuss all potential risks and benefits with their doctor before beginning any treatment.
