Root Blockade

Preparing for the treatment
The treatment takes place at OCP Medical Center and is performed by an anesthesiologist. You do not have to make any preparations at home, unless specifically stated. You do not have to fast on the day of the treatment.
You’ll arrive at the clinic about fifteen minutes before the treatment. An employee of OCP Medical Center guides you to a waiting area. Before the procedure starts, a nurse and/or doctor will bring you to the adjacent treatment room.

The treatment
If you are treated for pain in your neck, shoulder, arm or fingers, you lie on your back during the treatment. If your symptoms occur on the lower parts of the body, you lie on your stomach. With the help of fluoroscopy the doctor searches for the opening in the spine, through which the nerve root comes out. If the needle is in the correct position, it is stimulated with faint electrical pulses. You can indicate when and where you feel the current stimulus. If the right area is located, a small amount of local anesthetic (0.5-1 ml lidocaine 2% per level) is injected. Then, the tip of the needle is heated to a certain temperature, by means of a radio-frequency current, for 6 minutes. Often, an anti-inflammatory agent (40-80 mg depomedrol) is injected into the nerve root after the treatment in order to reduce swelling and with the hope that the injection contributes to faster healing.

A root block can be performed at multiple levels simultaneously. The entire treatment takes about 15 minutes.

Depending on the situation, there is a possibility that the doctor will not perform the treatment with electricity on you. In this case, after the needle is in place, only a mixture of local anesthetic and anti-inflammatory drugs is injected into the nerve root(s) involved and the treatment with electricity is omitted. This is called a sleeve-treatment.

After the treatment
Usually one hardly experiences side effects from the treatment and can go home about 15 minutes after the treatment. There may, however, be a temporary loss of strength.

When the local anesthetic wears off (about 1 to several hours after the treatment) some post-operative pain may occur. This is because the needle may be placed in the irritated area.

The pain may increase for the first few days, but it only lasts for a few days. You can take painkillers to help with the pain. This can be your own pain medication or paracetamol according to the dosage on the package leaflet. During the day of the treatment it is advisable to take it easy. You may do what feels okay, but physical labour is strongly discouraged.

Possible side effects
As a result of the treatment, it is possible that you experience one or more of the following side effects:

• Numb feeling in arms, chest, legs, pubic area or other areas, depending on which nerve root is treated. This goes away after several hours, when the anesthesia wears off.
• Loss of strength: in arms or legs, if a nerve in the arm or leg has been treated. This is temporary and should disappear within 8 hours after the procedure.
• Bruising: this can occur if a blood vessel is damaged. This causes a bruise, and sometimes pain or discomfort.
• Muscle pain: on the spot of the injection.
• Post-operative pain, as a result of the injection. This can last for several days. You can take painkillers to help with the pain. This can be your own pain medication, or paracetamol according to the dosage on the package leaflet. The anti-inflammatory drug may cause hot flashes as a side effect in women and can disrupt the menstrual cycle for a short time. The contraceptive pill is no longer reliable until the next menstrual period.
• Patients with diabetes who use insuline, sometimes notice that their blood sugar is elevated for a few days.

Based on the cause of your pain, your specialist will assess if a physical treatment is necessary. Based on the medical history the necessity of additional tests will be decided.