The majority are simple injection procedures that take only a few minutes, but can have lasting, or even permanent benefits. I would compare these to a simple vaccination. Other procedures involve heat ablation of pain-generating joints, cementing of fractured bones, or placement of a nerve stimulating device to scramble and eliminate pain signals.

Accurate diagnosis: After performing a careful history, exam, and review of imaging, we can use interventional procedures to help confirm or refute whether a particular body part is the primary source of pain. Treatment: In many cases the diagnostic injection is, in fact, the effective therapy! In others, the procedure shifts us down a path toward the right treatments - and importantly - away from the wrong ones.

Some patients feel immediate and lasting pain relief. Others go through a period of soreness lasting 3-7 days before real pain improvement is seen. A few patients will have some annoying muscle spasms in area treated. These usually pass in a few days with some rest and heat.

In skilled hands, interventional pain treatments are very safe. In ten years Dr. Littlejohn has had no serious complications. Potential complications are the same as any surgery, which include bleeding, infection, or nerve injuries. Most procedures have almost negligible risk, however for the few that can have real complications, Dr. Littlejohn will discuss in detail the likelihood of having a complication, a weighing of risks and benefits, and how we plan to minimize the risks of your particular procedure.

Patients tell us stories like this all the time, which is unfortunate, because it frightens people away from treatment who would otherwise benefit. Following their first procedure with me, most say: "What a second, that was it? I didn't even know you started!"