Patent ID: 8277437

Claim:
A method of delivering one or more substances at an injection site near a vertebral body in a patient, the method comprising: providing an injection system including a needle cannula having a needle lumen extending therethrough and an injection tubing having a curved shape at a distal portion, where the injection tube is slidably located in the needle lumen to move between a retracted position and a deployed position, where in the retracted position the injection tubing remains within the needle lumen and in the deployed position the injection tubing extends out of a far end of the needle cannula such that the curved shape causes an end of the injection tubing to move away from an axis of the needle cannula, where an rotational indicator on the needle cannula correlates to the direction of movement of the end of the injection tubing; inserting a tip of the needle cannula into the patient so that the tip is positioned adjacent to the vertebral body; advancing the distal end of the injection tube around a feature of the vertebral body into a vertebral foramen by advancing the injection tube within the needle cannula such that the distal portion exits the needle cannula and assumes the curved shape to advance into a first lateral recess within the vertebral body; delivering at least a first substance at the first lateral recess; retracting the injection tube within the needle cannula without withdrawing the cannula from the body; rotating the needle cannula using the rotational indicator to rotationally position the needle cannula; and advancing the injection tube within the needle cannula such that the distal portion exits the needle cannula and assumes the curved shape to advance into a second lateral recess within the vertebral body, where the second lateral recess is adjacent to the first lateral recess.