Chronic pain can originate from a variety of places and an even wider variety of causes. That’s why it’s critical for chronic pain specialists to have many ways of assessing, diagnosing and treating chronic pain.

One of the diagnostic tools that The Comprehensive Pain Institute uses at our Bedford TX pain clinic (locations also in Bedford and Lewisville) is called hardware injections. Today we are going to shed some light on how hardware injections help assess chronic pain.

 

What are Hardware Injections?

A hardware injection, also known as a hardware block, is a diagnostic procedure. Hardware injections can help identify if a patient’s spinal pain is originating from hardware that was implanted as part of a spinal fusion surgery.

 

How it Works

A hardware injection is a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure. It takes less than an hour to perform and typically involves very little pain or recovery time. The hardware injection process involves several steps.

• Patient receives an IV of antibiotics and local anesthetic and placed in a lying or seated position.
• Fluoroscope is used to locate the hardware.
• Needle is inserted into the numbed area, guided by the fluoroscope.
• Anesthetic or anesthetic/steroid mixture is injected into the area where the hardware may be causing pain.

Directly following the injection, the patient may be asked to gently move in several different directions to gauge if they can still feel the same discomfort as they did before the injection. If the pain is no longer felt while the anesthetic is active, there’s a good chance the pain is being caused by the hardware. In this case, there are several options available to treat the pain.

If you or someone you love is struggling with back pain after receiving a spinal fusion, we have  Bedford, Lewisville and Bedford doctors accepting new patients who may be able to help with this simple, non-invasive procedure.

 

Associated Risks

As with anything, there are risks associated with hardware injections, which your doctor will share with you before you consent to the treatment. Some of the risks include:

• Tenderness around the injections site
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Infection
• Allergic reaction
• Hematoma

Be sure to inform your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms following a hardware injection.

 

Bedford TX Pain Clinic

Whether you are just beginning your journey of treating your chronic pain or you feel like you’ve tried it all, we’re here for you. At CPI, we will go the extra mile to assess, diagnose and treat your chronic pain. Our goal is far bigger than just pain relief; we want to see your quality of life improve beyond anything you thought possible.

Call 817-786-8255 to schedule your appointment with one of our chronic pain specialists!