Nerve Block Injections

Radiofrequency ablation treats chronic back and neck pain coming from the facet joints — the small joints connecting each pair of vertebrae. A specialized needle heats the tiny nerve branches (medial branches) that carry pain signals from an arthritic facet joint, interrupting the signal for an extended period. For well-selected patients, RFA delivers some of the longest-lasting relief in non-surgical pain medicine — typically 6 to 12 months, sometimes longer.

Nerve Blocks

FAQs

How long does a nerve block last?

Anesthetic-only blocks: hours to days — the information is the point. Blocks with steroid: often weeks to months of relief.

Are they safe?

Very, when image-guided. Common minor effects: soreness, temporary numbness or weakness in the nerve's territory that resolves as the anesthetic wears off.

What if the block doesn't relieve my pain?

That's a useful result — it rules out that source, and we keep hunting rather than repeating what didn't work.

CTA: Call 720-749-5599 (CO) / 602-325-2024 (AZ).

Diagnostic blocks: finding the true source

Chronic pain is often blamed on the wrong structure. A diagnostic block is a targeted experiment: numb one specific nerve, and if the pain drops substantially while the anesthetic lasts, that nerve's territory is the source. This is how we confirm facet joint pain before radiofrequency ablation, sort shoulder pain from neck pain, and avoid treating the wrong thing for months.

Therapeutic blocks: turning the volume down

Some blocks are treatments in their own right, used to break pain cycles and enable rehab:

  • Occipital nerve blocks for headaches arising at the base of the skull.

  • Medial branch blocks for facet-driven back and neck pain.

  • Sympathetic blocks (e.g., stellate ganglion, lumbar sympathetic) for complex regional pain syndrome and certain nerve pain conditions.

  • Peripheral nerve blocks for focal nerve pain — intercostal, ilioinguinal, lateral femoral cutaneous, and others.

  • Trigger point injections for stubborn muscle knots that feed the pain cycle.

What to expect

In-office, image-guided (X-ray or ultrasound depending on the target), 10–20 minutes. You'll track your pain relief over the following hours — for diagnostic blocks, that diary IS the result, so we'll ask you to note percentages honestly. Numbness or relief starts within minutes; steroid effects (when included) build over days.