Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are a significant problem. In the United States, more than 700,000 age-related osteoporotic compression fractures occur per year. One in two women and…
Sympathetic Blocks: Stellate, Celiac, Lumbar, Superior Hypogastric, and Ganglion Impar The sympathetic chain is a bundle of nerves that runs from the base of the skull to the tip of…
Epidural Steroid Injections Most people think of an epidural injection as what is administered to a woman for pain control before she delivers her baby. The word epidural simply refers…
Sacroiliac Joint Injections The sacroiliac (SI) joint is the weight-bearing joint between the sacrum at the base of the spine and its connection to the ileum of the pelvis (Fig….
Facet Joint Procedures: Facet Joint Injections, Medial Branch Blocks, and Radiofrequency Ablation of the Medial Branches of the Spinal Nerve Roots The facet joint is a synovial-lined joint that links…
Trigger Point Injections for Myofascial Pain In order for a muscle to contract, actin and myosin strands slide over each other. These filaments then release, sliding back to their starting…
Radiation Therapy Targeted radiation has become a valuable tool in treating both cancer and the pain caused by cancer. Roughly 50% of all cancer patients will receive radiotherapy at some…
Epidural Catheter Analgesia When most people hear the word epidural they think of what is administered to a woman for pain control before she delivers her baby. However, epidural simply…
Patient-controlled Analgesia Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) was first used in 1971. PCA is a way of delivering pain medication via a programmable (IV) infusion device (Fig. 16-1). The PCA machine which…
