In the past, we’ve discussed the Suprascapular Nerve Block for relieving shoulder pain mostly when it comes to arthritis. However, there are three other nerve blocks available to bring pain relief to the shoulder – Especially when dealing with surgeries.
The wonderful thing about these nerve blocks is that they can be done right in our office during a brief 20 minute appointment.
What is a Nerve Block:
Nerves send messages to the brain, and when your shoulder is in pain due to arthritis, surgery, or other chronic pain, these nerves are sending pain signals to let the brain know there is something wrong.
To block these signals, a combination of steroids and numbing medicine are injected right into the nerve sending those signals. This is all done under X ray and fluoroscopy machines to ensure precision and accuracy with the shot.
There are very low risks when using nerve blocks for pain relief. For shoulder surgeries, the benefits include a lowered dependency on pain medication after the surgery is complete.
The Three Nerve Blocks for the Shoulder:
Interscalene Block – The most common for use with shoulder surgeries, the interscalene block will target the brachial plexus nerve.
Supraclavicular Block – Also used in shoulder surgeries, the supraclavicular block can be administered in either one dose or a catheter-like fashion to bring ongoing pain relief.
Axillary Block – A lot of times, the axillary block is used alongside the suprascapular nerve block to bring a fullness to pain relief when dealing with shoulder surgery.
