How Painful is this Procedure?
This is a frequently asked question and the simple and unfortunately vague answer is: that it is different for everyone. Each patient is different and it depends on how you do with needle stiks and shots in general. It also depends on your condition and how severe or advanced the degeneration or compression is in your specific case.
Around 90-95% of our procedures are done without any pre-medication, but if you would like a pre-medication please ask your doctor at the consultation.
But if it helps, we have ranked the procedures below in terms of discomfort on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the most painful. Again, these are based on average patient experience and your experience may vary based on the factors discussed above.
The Patel Procedure Pain Index
Acromioclavicular (AC) Joint Injection
Ankle Injection
Diagnostic Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Injection
Diagnostic Transforaminal Epidural Injection/Nerve Block
Facet Injection
Facet Radiofrequency Ablation / Rhizotomy
Genicular Radiofrequency Ablation Rhizotomy
Glenohumeral (GH) Joint Injection
Interlaminar Epidural Steroid Injection (ESI)
Plantar Fascia Injection
Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Injection
Sacoiliac (SI) Joint Rhizotomy/RFA
Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection (TFESI)
Wrist/Hand Injection