Nerve Block For Chronic Pain

Treatment Overview

A nerve block may be used to treat some kinds of chronic pain. It relieves pain by interrupting how pain signals are sent to your brain. It is done by injecting a medicine near a nerve or near the spinal cord or nerve root.

A test block is usually done with a short-acting local anesthetic. It numbs the area of pain to see if you get good pain relief. If you do, your doctor may inject another medicine, such as a steroid or alcohol, that may provide long-lasting pain relief.