Imaging in an adult spine almost always shows something. Discs bulge, joints wear, and most of those findings are silent. The difficulty is not spotting an abnormality; it is working out which one is actually generating your pain.
A block resolves that by testing one structure at a time. Numb it, see what happens, and the list of suspects gets shorter by one either way.
Blocks are performed at Mesa in the East Valley and at Westgate in Glendale. Both have fluoroscopy on site, which is what allows the needle to be positioned precisely enough for the answer to mean anything.
Assessment can be at any of the valley clinics including Deer Valley, North Phoenix on Dunlap, Peoria and Chandler. The block is booked at whichever of Mesa or Westgate keeps you on your side of the Loop 101.
The logic of a block only holds if the anesthetic reached the nerve it was aimed at and not its neighbours. Live imaging confirms the position before anything is injected, and confirms the spread afterwards.
Without that, a negative result is ambiguous — you cannot tell whether the theory was wrong or the medication simply missed. Getting a clean answer is the entire purpose of the appointment.
Go and provoke the pain on purpose while the block is active. In summer that may mean testing indoors rather than in the afternoon heat, which is fine provided you pick activities that reliably bring the pain on.
Note the time, note what you did, and note when the pain returned. Bring that to the follow-up. It is worth more than any description given from memory a fortnight later.
Most major commercial plans are accepted in Arizona and we are in network with most Medicare Advantage plans. AHCCCS is accepted for Pain Management only. Benefits are checked before the first visit.
Collision-related pain is billed through the auto policy or an attorney lien; workplace injuries through the carrier handling the claim. No referral is needed for an assessment and there is usually one available within the same week.
Related: nerve block, and Pain Management in Phoenix.
Other Phoenix pages by complaint: sciatica treatment in Phoenix, herniated disc treatment in Phoenix, low back pain treatment in Phoenix, neck pain treatment in Phoenix, knee pain treatment in Phoenix and neuropathy treatment in Phoenix. And by procedure: epidural steroid injection in Phoenix, radiofrequency ablation in Phoenix, spinal cord stimulator trials in Phoenix and kyphoplasty in Phoenix.
Every clinic below has Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Acupuncture and Pain Management on one chart, so care can move between them without a new referral.
Downtown out through the north, west, south and east suburbs.
Academy, InterQuest and Tenderfoot cover the north, central and south of the city.
Harmony in Fort Collins and our Greeley clinic serve Larimer and Weld counties.
Across the Valley, from the West Valley through Phoenix to the East Valley.
Mesa or Westgate, whichever side of the valley you are on. Both have fluoroscopy on site.
Because the answer is only trustworthy if the anesthetic went exactly where it was aimed. Live imaging confirms that during the appointment.
Typically a few hours with anesthetic alone. Longer if steroid was added for therapeutic reasons.
That usually means more than one source. It is a common and useful result, and it shapes what gets treated next.
Most people can. Avoid anything that depends on full sensation or strength in a limb that has been blocked.
It can be either, and you should be told which before the appointment, because it changes what a good outcome looks like.
For Pain Management only. Most major commercial plans are accepted and most Medicare Advantage plans are in network in Arizona.
Usually within the same week for an assessment, with the block scheduled from there.
Nerve Block is performed in office at our Mesa and Westgate clinics. No referral is needed to be evaluated, and appointments are usually available within the same week.
