Know what to expect.
Explore what each option is meant to help, how we support your comfort, and what comes next. The right choice begins with your symptoms, exam, and goals.
Medial branch blocks
A short test for pain from small spinal joints.
Ease selected nerve painEpidural steroid injections
Medicine near an irritated spinal nerve.
Treat selected joint pain signalsRadiofrequency ablation
Controlled heat at small nerves near spinal joints.
Check or treat SI joint painSI joint injections
A test or treatment for selected pain at the spine-pelvis joint.
Create more room for nervesThe mild® procedure
Remove excess ligament tissue in selected lumbar spinal stenosis.
Treat a specific low back pain sourceThe Intracept® procedure
Treat a nerve inside spinal bone for selected endplate pain.
Target a selected peripheral nerveSPRINT peripheral nerve stimulation
A temporary course of treatment lasting up to 60 days.
Manage persistent nerve painSpinal cord stimulation
A trial pathway for selected lasting nerve pain, including painful diabetic and post-surgery pain.
A plan built around the pain source
Not every pain problem needs a procedure. Your plan may include movement, physical therapy, medicine, and help with daily activities. If a procedure may help, we explain why it fits your symptoms and what it is meant to do.
Some procedures help test where pain comes from. Others aim to treat a known pain source. A temporary nerve stimulator is not the same as an SCS trial. The guides explain these differences so you can ask useful questions.
Your comfort is part of the plan
We use numbing medicine for many procedures and allow time for it to work. When suitable, a cooling spray may also help numb the skin. Tell us if you feel nervous. Medicine to help you relax may be an option for some visits.
The plan is different for each procedure. Relaxing medicine is not routine for a diagnostic block because it can affect the result. Procedures such as Intracept, mild, or a stimulator implant have their own anesthesia and recovery plans. Ask us what applies to your visit.
Questions worth bringing
- What do you think is causing my pain?
- What is the goal of this test or treatment?
- What changes should I track afterward?
- What should I do about medicines, food, and a ride?
- What are my other choices?
Decide with your clinician
Before you decide, your clinician will discuss expected benefits, risks, recovery, and other options for your care. Relief and recovery vary. These guides help you prepare for that talk; they do not replace your own visit instructions or consent discussion.
Sources behind this guide
Learn more from these professional and manufacturer resources. Your care plan and written instructions are specific to you.