Your spine is a very complex structure, so it stands to reason that inserting or injecting something into the area carries a certain amount of risk. While it’s true that there’s no way to ensure that every spinal injection procedure goes perfectly every single time, Dr. Sinicropi and his team have numerous safety measures in place to significantly increase the likelihood that your procedure will be a success. We talk a little more about spine injection safety and our methods in today’s blog.
Back Injection Safety
Spine injections are used in both the diagnostic and treatment process, so they are more common than you may imagine. Spine specialists can inject a numbing agent into an area to pinpoint if that area is the root cause of pain during a diagnosis, and they can also use an injection to treat pain and numb an area so other active treatments like physical therapy and exercise can become more bearable. Being able to safely administer these injections is hugely beneficial to a care provider’s practice and to their patients, but they also need to be performed correctly and safely.
Dr. Sinicropi uses a number of techniques to ensure the diagnostic or therapeutic injection goes as planned. For starters, he has decades of practice administering them during his time as a spine surgeon. He’s safely administered countless spinal injections and has a deep knowledge of what areas to avoid and how to best navigate the injection into the correct location.
That said, Dr. Sinicropi doesn’t just rely on his knowledge of spinal structures to get the injection into the correct location. He has a few different imaging guidance technologies that allow him to view the injection in real-time as he’s getting it into the correct location. These technologies allow him to avoid certain areas and to know with certainty that the solution is released precisely in the correct location. The injection instrumentation is also the industry-standard and designed to limit potential problems during insertion and withdrawal.
We work very hard to reduce the risk of complications, but they still can occur. Some types of complications associated with a spinal injection that does not go as planned include:
- Bleeding
- Nerve injury
- Infection
- Spinal fluid leak
- Headaches
- Muscle weakness
- Localized pain
There’s also the possibility that the injection itself could cause health issues like nausea, diarrhea or blood sugar irregularities. The good news is that most of these risks are mild self-correct with time or simple treatments. Doctors work to ensure that a patient is a good candidate for an injection prior to administering one in order to reduce the risk of preventable complications.
Minnesota Neck Surgeon
So if you’re in need of a spinal injection, trust it to Dr. Sinicropi. He has a proven track record of safely administering a wide variety of spinal injections, and he’ll do everything in his power to ensure your operation runs smoothly. For more information, or to set up an appointment, reach out to his office today at (651) 430-3800.
