What to Expect After Your Upcoming Nerve Block

You’ve been coping with chronic pain for a while, and you just aren’t getting the level of relief you need. You’re also worried about how your frequent intake of OTC pain meds might be affecting your liver.

You’re ready for a next-level pain relief procedure, and after an exam with board-certified pain management specialist Dr. Okezie N. Okezie, you’re scheduled to have a nerve block. 

When you undergo an in-office nerve block procedure at Interventional Sports and Pain Management Associates, you can expect rapid pain relief that will likely last long enough to make healing progress in PT and other treatment modalities. 

Let’s examine the various applications of a nerve block and what you can expect after your pain relief procedure.  

How a nerve block alleviates pain 

A nerve block is a minimally invasive pain relief treatment that injects a local anesthetic and an anti-inflammatory steroidal medication into a nerve or nerve bundle that is sending ongoing pain signals. 

The anesthetic induces a temporary loss of sensation in the targeted area, while the steroid works longer-term to dial down inflammation and block the targeted nerve impulses. When pain signals are relayed to your central nervous system, they can’t be translated into pain sensations.  

A versatile chronic pain solution 

A nerve block aims to deliver fast, short-term relief for debilitating chronic pain conditions. With a wide variety of applications, nerve blocks can help manage:

• Arthritic joint pain
• Herniated disc pain
• Leg pain (sciatica) 
• Back and neck pain
• Chronic headaches
• Cancer-related pain
• Post-surgical pain
• Personal injury pain
• Auto accident pain

Nerve blocks can also help ease more complicated pain conditions, including peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). 

Peripheral, neuraxial, and sympathetic blocks are the most common of the several types of nerve blocks. A peripheral block targets problematic nerves in your extremities (i.e., knee pain), while neuraxial and sympathetic blocks target the spinal cord (i.e., sciatica, CRPS).

After your nerve block procedure

After Dr. Okezie administers your nerve block, you rest comfortably in our office for about 30 minutes as the medication takes effect. Our team also observes you during this time to ensure you don’t have any unexpected side effects. Then, you’ll be cleared to head home. 

Post-procedure instructions 

The first post-procedure instruction you’ll need to follow is having someone else drive you home from our office — you can’t drive for at least 24 hours after receiving a nerve block. Dr. Okezie will tell you exactly how long you shouldn’t drive based on your injections. 

Depending on your specific case, you may want to rest and do less for a few days — or you may be able to return to your normal activities quickly. In every case, it’s important to:  

• Avoid putting pressure on the numb area 
• Protect the treatment area from injury 
• Avoid taking a bath for the first 24 hours 

Dr. Okezie will tell you when you can safely restart medications you stopped taking prior to your nerve block. If he prescribes a new pain medication in conjunction with your nerve block, it’s important to take it as prescribed. 

Potential short-term side effects

While it’s common to experience soreness or a feeling of fullness at the injection site, such discomfort usually subsides within a few days. You may also notice a spot of redness and minor skin irritation where the needle was inserted. 

The area where the nerve block was administered might also temporarily feel numb, tingly, or weak, depending on the type of block. Mild muscle spasms are also possible. Other potential short-term side effects depend on where your nerve block is injected. 

For example, if it’s done to treat neck pain, the numbing medicine may temporarily affect your face and neck, causing droopy eyelids, nasal congestion, or trouble swallowing. If it’s injected in your lower back, you may feel some tingly warmth radiating down a leg. 

Pain relief timing and duration

A nerve block provides rapid pain relief that can be felt almost instantly as the anesthetic medication enters the targeted nerve. The anti-inflammatory steroid medicine takes longer — usually a few days — to fully “kick in.” 

This means that you’re likely to experience a brief period between the anesthetic wearing off and the steroid starting to take effect when your pain returns. Taking your pain medication as prescribed by Dr. Okezie can help you manage this temporary problem.   

The duration of pain relief varies depending on the type of nerve block, the medicines used, and how the body metabolizes the medications. Sustained pain relief typically lasts between a few days and several weeks. 

Ready for next-level pain relief?

Do you have questions about your upcoming nerve block procedure? We’re here to help. Contact your nearest Interventional Sports and Pain Management Associates office in Humble or Baytown, Texas, today.