CHAPTER 13
LUMBAR ERVE ROOT BLOCK
(This is the section that explains the detail of the operation or procedure
above and should be read in conjunction with the the chapter Your Back
Operation).
A lumbar nerve root block is performed for pain that is caused by an irritated
nerve root. The aim of the procedure is to reduce the inflammation of the
nerve root and also to block the pain impulse from travelling up the nerve to
the brain. This will then bring partial or complete (but usually temporary)
relief of the pain.
The reason why your specialist performs this procedure is to first of all cor-
rectly diagnose whether this nerve root is causing the pain that is felt in the
leg and secondly to bring temporary relief from the pain. It is the usual prac-
tice to use a mixture of long-acting local anaesthetic and steroids when inject-
ing around the nerve root.
The local anaesthetic solution brings instantaneous relief of the pain, if it is
indeed the nerve root that is responsible for the pain and serves as a confir-
mation to your specialist that this is indeed the pathological level. The
steroids reduce the inflammation and will provide longer-acting pain relief.
This pain relief may be permanent in cases where the nerve compression is of
a temporary nature. The nerve root block facilitates the normal recovery
process of the nerve in cases where the compression is a temporary feature.
This may be the case in a disc herniation.
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