Therapeutic blockade of a hernia of the lumbar spine

A hernia of the lumbar spine periodically causes severe back pain. The priority task of doctors is to eliminate acute discomfort. Only getting rid of negative feelings can further treatment be undertaken. The blockade with a hernia of the lumbar spine perfectly eliminates the pain. What is this procedure? And how effective is it?

The essence of the procedure

Blockade with a hernia of the lumbar spine allows you to temporarily "disable" one of the mechanisms leading to the appearance of pain. This effect is achieved by entering certain medications into the area of ​​the spine, in which discomfort is felt.

If a patient is diagnosed with a hernia, doctors try to use any methods to avoid surgery. It is drug blockade that becomes a real salvation for a patient and a doctor who is in pain.

Such a procedure is by far the most effective way to eliminate discomfort. Other methods, such as manual therapy, acupuncture, physiotherapy, and even drug treatment, are significantly inferior to it in terms of effectiveness. It is the blockade that provides a quick relief of pain, since the drug is injected into the focus of the pathology.

Types of blockade

There are 3 types of procedures:

1. Blockade with anesthetic medicine. For such a procedure, drugs are used: Lidocaine, Novocaine.
2. The use of anti-inflammatory drugs. In this case, the doctor introduces a corticosteroid into the affected area.
3. Blockade with anesthetics and anti-inflammatory drugs. In this procedure, the drugs of the first and second groups are combined.

With a hernia of the spine , novocaine blockade with the connection of corticosteroids is most often used.

Main advantages

People who have experienced severe back pain know very well how this discomfort can disrupt the usual way of life. Naturally, a person has a desire to get rid of intolerable torment. Most often, doctors recommend resorting to drug therapy aimed at reducing pain. However, in some cases, such treatment is very ineffective.

The only way to eliminate excruciating discomfort is blockade with a hernia of the lumbar spine. It is especially relevant for patients in whom back pain has become chronic.

Doctors emphasize the following advantages of this procedure:

1. During the blockade, a medication is applied to the conductors and nerve endings. As a result, the analgesic effect is achieved quite quickly.
2. The procedure allows you to not only stop the pain. An injectable medicine provides several functions. It eliminates swelling of tissues, reduces the clinic of inflammation, activates metabolic reactions in the affected area, and eliminates muscle tension.
3. Blockade has a minimal amount of side effects. After all, the procedure itself involves the administration of a medication in the affected area. And the medicine enters the general bloodstream much later.
4. The event can be held repeatedly.

Indications for the procedure

Blockade can be recommended to the patient for a variety of pathologies that are accompanied by intense pain in the back, and are not eliminated by other methods.

The main indications for the procedure are diseases:

• neuralgia, unexplained cause;
• severe stages of lumbar or cervical osteochondrosis;
• lumbalgia (acute pain localized in the lumbar part of the back);
• sciatica (inflammation of the nerve spinal roots);
• intervertebral hernia, protrusion;
• myositis (an inflammatory process in the muscle tissue of the spine);
• preparation for surgery;
• infringement of a nerve provoked by hernias, spondylitis, osteophytes.
• rehabilitation after surgical treatment;
• intense pain in fractures or a variety of back injuries.

Most often, blockade is performed with a hernia of the lumbar spine. It is in the lumbar region that the procedure technique is the simplest. This predisposes the structure of the spine. Thanks to such features, the blockade in this area practically does not lead to complications.

Contraindications

However, a wonderful procedure is not able to help all patients. In some cases, the introduction of a drug into the spinal column is strictly contraindicated.

Medical blockade with a hernia of the lumbar spine is not performed in such cases:

• diseases of the heart, blood vessels;
• individual sensitivity to the medication intended for input;
• liver failure;
• low pressure;
• renal failure;
• CNS pathology;
• epilepsy;
• infection in the acute stage;
• pregnancy;
• skin diseases at the injection site.

Event preparation

Of course, questions arise if a doctor prescribed a blockade for a hernia of the lumbar spine, how to do the procedure, and how to prepare for it?

No special manipulations by the patient are required. It is very important to notify the doctor about all cases of allergies to medications.

The staff will take the following actions:

1. Room preparation and instrument sterilization.
2. Preparation of special analgesic solutions.
3. The patient is asked to take a certain position on the sunbed.
4. The skin in the area of ​​future blockade is carefully treated with antiseptics.
5. Tissues are anesthetized with a few anesthetic injections.

Technique

The procedure is carried out only by senior medical staff. The blockade is performed by surgeons, traumatologists, neuropathologists or vertebrologists. Indeed, the manipulation requires a high level of professionalism, as well as an ideal knowledge of human anatomy.

There are several techniques for holding the event:

• epidural block
• paravertebral.

These methods differ among themselves in the depth of drug administration. The strength of blocking the nervous structure also depends on this. To understand in more detail how a blockade is performed with a hernia of the lumbar spine, we consider in detail both methods.

Paravertebral block

This is the most common procedure. How is such a blockade made with a hernia of the lumbar spine? Does the patient hurt during the event?

The paravertebral procedure algorithm consists of the following steps:

1. As mentioned above, initially the place of blockade is anesthetized by surface analgesics. After the medicine has worked, the doctor, through the skin and muscle tissue, gropes the processes of the vertebrae, between which an injection will be made.
2. The doctor inserts a thick needle into a previously selected area, reaching the arch of the vertebra. Does the patient experience pain at this time? A person practically does not feel anything, thanks to previously introduced anesthetics.
3. In the area of ​​needle entry, nerve roots are localized. After entering the medicine, it is they who lose their conductive ability and sensitivity.
4. In addition, the doctor performs additional pain relief. This effect is achieved by moving the needle to the vertebra during drug administration. Thus, anesthesia extends to the muscles, ligaments surrounding the affected area of ​​the spine.

Epidural procedure

It is often recommended that it is epidural blockade with a hernia of the lumbar spine. How do they do it?

The technique of the event is as follows:

1. The patient is recommended to lie on his stomach.
2. To provide the necessary flexion in the lumbar region of the back, put a special roller under the lower abdomen.
3. The drug solution is injected into the opening of the sacrum. Thanks to this, it is possible to achieve a “shutdown” of nerve impulses in the lumbar region.
4. The doctor inserts the needle until the condition, until you feel a "failure" through the ligaments and muscles. It is in this space that a drug is released.
5. For the event, the drug "Novocaine" is used. The medicine is used in large volume, but at a low dosage.
6. Sometimes the patient notes an increase in pain during blockade in the area of ​​the hernia. This is a completely normal condition. With such a clinic, it is recommended to gradually introduce the solution, periodically taking breaks. As soon as the medication is evenly distributed, the discomfort will significantly weaken.

Event complications

Occasionally, the occurrence of undesirable reactions that provokes blockade with a hernia of the lumbar spine is possible.

Consequences related to the technique of the event:

1. Bleeding. Such symptoms characterize damage to a large vessel with a needle. If the patient is diagnosed with ailments of the liver or blood, then the risk of complications increases.
2. Allergy. It may occur in response to the introduction of a medication. That is why it is important to conduct a test before manipulation.
3. Infection. This is a rare complication. It can arise as a result of insufficient surface treatment of the skin or poor-quality sterilization of instruments.

In addition, the patient may experience complications provoked by the administered analgesic (for example, Novocain):

• loss of consciousness;
• epileptic seizure;
• hypertensive crisis;
• convulsive cider, twitching of muscle tissue;
• impaired functioning of the respiratory center.

The opinion of patients

What do people think who had a blockade with a hernia of the lumbar spine? Reviews about the event are mostly positive. Most patients claim that the procedure made it possible to quickly and easily get rid of excruciating discomfort that is not amenable to medical treatment.

But at the same time, people emphasize that the event relieves pain only for a certain period - for a week, a month. Therefore, if you do not take special treatment prescribed by the doctor and include drug therapy, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, massage, then you have to resort to blockade again and again.