1. < Bones, Joints & Muscles

I'm having a medial branch block, does it hurt? If so how?

Posted by karolyn @karolyn, Nov 24, 2018

I have to have a medial branch block has anyone had this done without sedation ima single mom,how bad is the pain I've herd really bad storys,I'm so scared but want to kn please help

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Bones, Joints & Muscles Support Group.

interajl | @interajl | May 13, 2021
In reply to @curlylocks "Do not be afraid. If you are in moderate to severe pain, then it is worth..." + (show)
@curlylocks

Do not be afraid. If you are in moderate to severe pain, then it is worth going through the procedure! Do you know and trust your doctor? I have had numerous and various type of treatments to treat degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis. In my case, some treatments work and others don't. Did your doctor give you a valium to take 1-2 hrs. before the procedure? It will help to calm your nerves. The only time none of the treatments worked on me was due to severe degenerative disc disease in my neck. I ended up being treated by a doctor who practices functional medicine. It was expensive and took about a year of regular visits and treatment. Now I am on maintenance and it is working. For my stenosis, I continue to see a spine interventionist doctor. He is terrific and without both types of treatment, my quality of life would be a living "hell!" These are stressful times and removing one stress is significant. It will have you to return to a less physically challenging time! Stay well, safe and be at peace!

Jump to this post

Dear Curlylocks, my neck pain sounds similar to yours. What kind of "functional" treatment did you have -- chiro? What is the spine interventionist dr doing for you? thank you in advance

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | May 13, 2021
In reply to @interajl "Dear Curlylocks, my neck pain sounds similar to yours. What kind of "functional" treatment did you..." + (show)
@interajl

Dear Curlylocks, my neck pain sounds similar to yours. What kind of "functional" treatment did you have -- chiro? What is the spine interventionist dr doing for you? thank you in advance

Jump to this post

Hello @interajl, Welcome to Connect, an online community where patients and caregivers share their experiences, find support and exchange information with others. @curlylocks may not have seen your reply to their post so I used the member name @curlylocks which will send an email notification if they are still following Connect. You can view all of a members posts by clicking on their @ membername to view their profile and then click on Comments to view all of their previous posts.

Are you able to share a little more about your symptoms and diagnosis?

REPLY
1 reply
interajl | @interajl | May 14, 2021
In reply to @johnbishop "Hello @interajl, Welcome to Connect, an online community where patients and caregivers share their experiences, find..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Hello @interajl, Welcome to Connect, an online community where patients and caregivers share their experiences, find support and exchange information with others. @curlylocks may not have seen your reply to their post so I used the member name @curlylocks which will send an email notification if they are still following Connect. You can view all of a members posts by clicking on their @ membername to view their profile and then click on Comments to view all of their previous posts.

Are you able to share a little more about your symptoms and diagnosis?

Jump to this post

thank you @johnbishop I am new to this. I have had trigger point neck pain for 7 years,along with some herniated discs and bone spurs. I have seen several kinds of docs, has been difficult to find one who is versed in trigger points vs. anything else. I have some herniation but have been told it is not bad enough for intervention, and have done a lot of physical therapy, dry needling, yoga, acupuncture, etc. I do the exercises at home and use a TENS unit, tennis balls to relieve the pain.

The worst part, for me, is that I have had to give up hobbies that aggravate the pain. I love gardening but am trying to cut back and see if that helps.

Most recently I had a medial branch block, which the doc said was not impressive (the words he used) bc the pain was alleviated for only a short while. He wants to try a different anesthetic. I asked if ablation will help with trigger point pain and he said no. My plan is to try the other anesthetic and see what happens. If it does not work, I really do not know what to do.

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.