In our clinic, we use nerve blocks (or nerve steroid injections) for various indications. The most common nerve block we perform is an occipital nerve block, which provides excellent relief in migraines, cervicogenic headaches, cluster headaches, and other conditions. Another commonly performed block is a trigeminal nerve block for patients with facial pain either from trigeminal neuralgia or specific involvement of its branches (auriculotemporal, infraorbiral, supraoribtal).
Outside of the head & neck, other nerve blocks we commonly perform include pudendal blocks (for pelvic pain), genitofemoral blocks (for inguinal/pelvic pain), genicular blocks (for knee pain), suprascapular blocks (for shoulder pain).
The majority of my nerve blocks are done under ultrasound guidance, which helps increase the efficacy of the block but also minimze risk of injury to neighboring structures. Some of the nerve blocks (e.g. pudendal) are better performed under fluoroscopy. And rarely, some of the blocks are done blind if there is no cause for concern to neighboring tissues.
Generally speaking, nerve blocks are thought to be very safe. Like any procedure, there is always the risk of bleeding, infection, nerve or spinal cord damage but these are very low. If steroid is used in the block (in addition to the local anesthetic), there is a risk of hyperglycemia (increase blood glucose) for a week following the procedure, so make sure to discuss with Dr Sader or Liz if you are diabetic. Chronic use of steroids has various side effects, so we usually limit steroid injections to 4/year.
Providing specialized neurological and pain management care with a patient-centered approach. Dr. Sader combines clinical expertise with compassionate care to help patients achieve optimal health outcomes.
