Hernia of the lumbar spine periodically causes severe back pain. The priority task of physicians is to eliminate acute discomfort. Only after getting rid of negative feelings, you can take further treatment. Perfectly eliminates the pain of the blockade with a hernia of the lumbar spine. What is this procedure? And how effective is it?
The essence of the procedure
Blockade for a hernia of the lumbar spine allows you to temporarily "turn off" one of the mechanisms that leads to pain. This effect is achieved by injecting certain medications precisely 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 the drug blockadebecomes a lifesaver for the pain patient and doctor.
This procedure is by far the most effective way to eliminate discomfort. Other methods, such as manual therapy, acupuncture, physical therapy, and even drug treatment, are significantly inferior to it in terms of effectiveness. It is the blockade that provides rapid relief of pain, since the drug is injected precisely into the focus of the pathology.
Varieties of blockade
There are 3 types of procedure:
- Blockade with anesthetic medicine. For this procedure, drugs are used: Lidocaine, Novocain.
- The use of anti-inflammatory drugs. In this case, the doctor injects a corticosteroid into the affected area.
- Blockade with anesthetics and anti-inflammatory drugs. With this procedure, drugs of the first and second groups are combined.
With a hernia of the spine, novocaine blockade with the addition of corticosteroids is most often used.
Key Benefits
People who have experienced severe back pain know very well how this discomfort can disrupt their usual way of life. Naturally, a person has a desire to get rid of unbearable 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 a blockade with a hernialumbar spine. It is especially relevant for patients whose back pain has become chronic.
Doctors emphasize the following advantages of this procedure:
- During the blockade, a medicated effect on the conductors and nerve endings is carried out. As a result, the analgesic effect is achieved fairly quickly.
- The procedure allows not only to stop the pain. The injected drug provides several functions. It eliminates tissue swelling, reduces inflammation, activates metabolic reactions in the affected area, eliminates muscle tension.
- Blockade has minimal side effects. After all, the procedure itself involves the introduction of the drug precisely into the affected area. And the drug enters the general circulation much later.
- The event can be held multiple times.
Indications for the procedure
Blockade can be recommended to a patient with a variety of pathologies that are accompanied by intense pain in the back area and cannot be eliminated by other methods.
The main indications for the procedure are diseases:
- neuralgia, unexplained cause;
- severe stages of lumbar or cervical osteochondrosis;
- lumbago (acute pain localized in the lumbar back);
- sciatica (inflammation of the spinal nerve roots);
- intervertebral hernia, protrusion;
- myositis (inflammatory process in muscle tissuespine);
- preparation for surgery;
- nerve pinching caused by hernias, spondylitis, osteophytes.
- rehabilitation after surgical treatment;
- intense pain from fractures or various back injuries.
Most often, a blockade is performed for a hernia of the lumbar spine. It is in the lumbar region that the technique of the procedure is most simple. This predisposes the structure of the spine. Due to such features, the blockade in this area practically does not lead to complications.
Contraindications
However, an excellent procedure may not come to the rescue of all patients. In some cases, the introduction of a drug into the spinal column is strictly contraindicated.
Therapeutic blockade for a hernia of the lumbar spine is not performed in such cases:
- diseases of the heart, blood vessels;
- individual sensitivity to medication intended for administration;
- liver failure;
- low pressure;
- kidney failure;
- CNS pathologies;
- epilepsy;
- infectious process in the acute stage;
- pregnancy;
- skin diseases at the injection site.
Preparing for the event
Of course, questions arise if a blockade is prescribed by a doctor for a hernia of the lumbar spine, how is the procedure done, and how to prepare for it?
No special manipulations withthe patient's side is not required. It is very important to notify the doctor about all cases of drug allergy.
The following actions will be taken by the staff:
- Preparation of the room and sterilization of instruments.
- Preparation of special analgesic solutions.
- The patient is asked to take a certain position on the bed.
- The skin in the area of the future blockade is carefully treated with antiseptics.
- Tissues are anesthetized with several injections of anesthetic.
Technique
The procedure is performed only by senior medical staff. The blockade is performed by surgeons, traumatologists, neuropathologists or vertebrologists. After all, manipulation requires a high level of professionalism, as well as an ideal knowledge of human anatomy.
There are several techniques for holding an event:
- epidural block;
- paravertebral.
These methods differ in the depth of injection of the drug. The strength of the blocking of the nervous structure also depends on this. To understand in more detail how the blockade is performed for a hernia of the lumbar spine, we will consider both methods in detail.
Paravertebral blockade
This is the most common version of the procedure. How is such a blockade performed with a hernia of the lumbar spine? Does the patient get hurt during the event?
The paravertebral procedure algorithm consists of the followingstages:
- As mentioned above, initially the blockade site is anesthetized with superficial analgesics. After the medicine has acted, the doctor, through the skin and muscle tissues, gropes for the processes of the vertebrae, between which the injection will be made.
- The doctor inserts a thick needle into the previously selected area, reaching the vertebral arch. Does the patient experience pain at this time? A person practically does not feel anything, thanks to previously introduced anesthetics.
- Nerve roots are localized in the area where the needle is inserted. After the injection of the drug, it is they who lose their conductive ability and sensitivity.
- In addition, the doctor performs additional anesthesia. This effect is achieved by advancing the needle to the vertebra during the injection of the drug. Thus, anesthesia is distributed to the muscles, ligaments surrounding the affected area of the spine.
Epidural
Epidural blockade is often recommended for hernia of the lumbar spine. How do they do it?
The technique of the event is as follows:
- The patient is advised to lie on his stomach.
- To provide the necessary flexion in the lumbar region of the back, a special roller is placed under the lower abdomen.
- The drug solution is injected into the opening of the sacrum. Thanks to this, it is possible to achieve a “turn-off” of nerve impulses in the lumbar region.
- The doctor inserts a needle until a “failure” is felt through the ligaments and muscles. It is into this space that the drug is released.
- For eventthe drug "Novocain" is used. The medicine is used in high volume but low dosage.
- Sometimes the patient notes increased pain during the blockade in the area of the hernia. This is a completely normal state. 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 noticeably subside.
Complications of the event
Sometimes there may be unwanted reactions that provoke blockade in case of a hernia of the lumbar spine.
Consequences related to the technique of the event:
- Bleeding. Such symptoms characterize damage to a large vessel with a needle. If a patient is diagnosed with ailments of the liver or blood, then the risk of complications increases.
- Allergy. It may occur in response to the administration of the drug. That is why it is important to conduct a test before manipulation.
- Infection. This is a rare complication. It can occur 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, Novocaine):
- loss of consciousness;
- epileptic seizure;
- hypertensive crisis;
- convulsive cider, muscle twitching;
- impaired functioning of the respiratory center.
Opinion of patients
What do people who have had a blockade for a hernia of the lumbar spine think? Reviews of the event are mostly positive. Most patients claim that the procedure allowed them 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 a special treatment prescribed by a doctor and including drug therapy, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, massage, then the blockade has to be resorted to again and again.
