Injections Aren't Enough to Relieve My Pain — What Are My Other Options?

Living with chronic pain can feel like carrying the weight of the world. Every physical activity can feel draining, difficult, or downright impossible. Meanwhile, your moods, sleep, and lifestyle can take a major hit.

If conservative care and injections haven’t done enough to relieve your back pain, neck pain, or nerve pain, rest assured that you have more options.

Dr. Nicholas Perenich and his team at Spine Institute of Florida in Dade City and Spring Hill provide a broad range of treatments for painful conditions, from minimally invasive procedures to complex surgeries.

Here’s a look at pain treatments to consider when injections aren’t enough.

Injections plus other nonsurgical treatment

Epidural steroid injections are considered successful when they reduce your pain by at least 50%. While half or less of your pain should help a great deal, it may not be enough to restore your comfort, mobility, and quality of life. 

If injections have only gone so far, you might benefit from continued injections, as needed, as well as additional conservative care.

Depending on the cause and severity of your ongoing pain, our team may recommend:

• A brace or assistive walking device
• Physical therapy (PT)
• Oral pain medication
• Lifestyle changes, such as eating an anti-inflammatory diet 

A study showed that PT effectiveness increases after pain injections for osteoarthritis of the knee. Physical therapy bolsters muscle strength around affected nerves and joints while improving blood flow. As a result, you’ll experience less pain.

Minimally invasive or complex spine surgery

You may benefit from spine surgery if less invasive options, such as injections, medications, and PT, haven’t sufficed.

At Spine Institute of Florida, we offer a variety of procedures to relieve pain from auto accidents, chronic conditions, spinal degeneration, severe disc herniation, and sports injuries. 

After an assessment, which may include imaging tests, our team may recommend:

• Discectomy, which removes a ruptured disc
• Foraminotomy, which creates more room for nerves to exit
• Kyphoplasty, which restores vertebral height and strength 
• Laminectomy, which removes part of a vertebra's arch for less pressure
• Microdiscectomy, which removes a herniated disc fragment
• Radiofrequency ablation, which heats and destroys a problematic nerve
• Spinal fusion, which connects two or more vertebrae for stability

Whenever possible, we use minimally invasive techniques to limit your pain and recovery time. Regardless of the procedure, all of our treatments aim to minimize your symptoms, restore your function, and get you back to the activities and lifestyle you miss.

To learn more or receive a personalized treatment plan from experts, call Spine Institute of Florida or schedule an appointment through our website today.