I After last month s Pain Update about epidurals, I received several questions about what blocks we do and why we do them. I will provide you with a two part synopsis.
Blocks are injections of medication onto or near nerves.
The medications that are injected include local anesthetics, steroids, and opioids. In some cases of severe pain it is even necessary to destroy a nerve with injections of phenol, pure ethanol, or by using needles that freeze or heat the nerves. Injections into joints are also referred to as blocks. Although not technically correct, such shorthand is commonly used. Blocks with local anesthetic can be used to control acute pain.