This involves injecting directly around the root of the nerve that is causing the pain to block the pain signals. Sometimes these injections need repeating, but most people will experience the benefit after one to three injections. Nerve-blocking injections target a specific nerve and ‘block’ the transmission of pain signals that travel from where the pain starts to the brain. These have been shown to greatly improve back pain in people with uncontrolled symptoms who wish to avoid surgery or those who are not suitable for surgery.