Cervical Transforaminal Injections

What is a cervical transforaminal injection?

Pain in the neck and shoulder can be enough to prevent you from engaging in work and your daily life. The neck particularly is susceptible to injury, being a part of the spine most prone to damage. If nerves in and around the neck become pinched or damaged, this can lead to long-term pain in your neck, which can fall down to your shoulders and arms.

A cervical transforaminal steroid injection is administered to a patient feeling this kind of pain. This injection is used to both treat and diagnose the pain, allowing doctors to create treatment plans for long-term pain relief.

During a cervical transforaminal steroid injection procedure, corticosteroids and local anesthetics are injected in the tunnels that connect the affected nerve and the spine. When searching for a non-surgical approach for nerve-related neck pain relief, the cervical transforaminal injection is one of the best options.

When would I need a cervical transforaminal injection?

If you have neck, shoulder, or arm pain that doesn’t seem to be responding to any other kinds of treatment such as physical therapy or medications, it might be time for a cervical transforaminal injection. In this procedure, a doctor will inject steroids near your affected nerves, which will both relieve your pain and help with further diagnosis.

This is a quicker and more affordable alternative to the possibility of back surgery, leading to fewer risks due to its non-surgical treatment. Causes of this kind of pain are conditions that lead to pinched nerves around your neck. This includes spinal stenosis, spinal nerve root diseases, ruptured discs and more.

Diagnosis: The injection will help your doctor in understanding exactly what the source of your pain might be. This is done by analyzing the effects of the local anesthetic that the doctor injects in your spine’s cervical area around your neck, which will numb all sense of feeling in the area. Whether or not you continue to feel pain will help outline your condition to your doctor.

Pain Relief: The injection will also reduce any swelling, relieve pain, and increase your mobility. The pain relief can last anywhere from a few weeks or months to permanent relief.

Before the Procedure

Prior to the procedure, it is important that your doctor is aware of any medications you might be taking, especially aspirin and blood thinning drugs like Plavix and Ticlid (as these may cause bleeding during the procedure). Your doctor will advise you to stop taking these medications for a few days before your procedure.

Other issues which your doctor must be aware of that might cause problems for your procedure include any allergies and other medical problems you are currently dealing with, such as diabetes and renal disease.