There are many alternative pain treatments that are useful for treating back, joint, and in general, all types of musculoskeletal and chronic pain. These include chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, supervised exercise and stretching, anti-inflammatory dietary changes, as well as vitamin and hormone therapy. Headaches also can also be treated using alternative methods such as trigger point injections, massage, nerve blocks.
Trigger points are painful knots that form in muscles that often lead to tension headaches. In a trigger point injection procedure, your doctor will press on your muscle to locate the area where you have pain. Then, they will insert a small needle into the area and inject an anesthetic. You can have several trigger points injected during one visit to your doctor’s office. The procedure only takes a few minutes, and the risk of complication is very low.
Nerve blocks are a quick, outpatient procedure used as an abortive treatment, which is one that is offered during a pain episode, when you are in need of immediate relief. In the treatment, your doctor injects small amounts of a numbing medicine such as lidocaine or bupivacaine into the base of the skull to block pain signals from the nerves. Pain may be relieved within a few minutes, and the effects of the procedure can last weeks to months.
A nerve block is a temporary treatment for severe pain. It may be recommended when other medications do not relieve symptoms or when other treatments are contraindicated. Nerve blocks are performed on an as-needed basis.
To learn more about Alternative Pain Treatments, contact us to schedule your consultation or give us a call!