Nerve Root Sleeve Injection
Selective nerve root sleeve injections can be an effective treatment to relieve pain from herniated disks and irritated or compressed spinal nerves. They can be diagnostic and/or therapeutic in that they can be used to determine which nerve is causing symptoms, as well as providing pain relief at the problematic site. CT is now used as a guide to the injection site.
Preparation
No specific preparation is required for a nerve root sleeve injection, although you may be asked to fast before your appointment. Please inform us when booking your appointment if you are taking blood thinning medication (e.g. Warfarin or aspirin), as this may need to be ceased for a number of days prior to your injection. Please continue to take all your other usual medications and if you are diabetic, please adhere to your normal diet.
Procedure
You will be asked to lie flat on the CT table, on either your stomach or back depending on the region of the spine being injected. The area will be cleaned and injected with local anaesthetic. Using CT scanning guidance, a Radiologist (doctor) will carefully place a fine needle adjacent to the nerve just beyond its exit from the spine. Usually a combination of local anaesthetic and steroid solution will be injected into the site. Some patients may experience some limb pain when the needle is near the nerve. This is usually transient and will not cause any nerve damage.
Are there any side effects?
Complications are not common and, if they occur, are usually minor. The most significant is transient limb weakness and for this reason you will be asked to stay in the clinic for 30 minutes following the injection. Serious side effects causing permanent neurological damage are very rare. It is advisable to have someone collect you to take you home, and driving after an injection is not advised.
Following the injection you will often feel numbness and tingling in the distribution of the nerve. Usually pain is very effectively relieved during the first few hours while the anaesthetic is working. It is not unusual for pain to return transiently after this. It may take several days for the longer acting elements in the injection to work. Some people do not have significant benefit from the procedure. You will be given a pain chart to complete following this injection. Please take it with you to your next doctor’s appointment.
Please bring all your previous imaging with you when you come for the injection.
If you have any questions regarding the procedure please contact us or speak to your doctor.
Locations where this service is available
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Armadale Hospital
The Medical Centre Building
3056 Albany Highway
Armadale
Ph: 9391 0100
Fx: 9391 2019
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
Service available to Emergency Department patients after hours.
Weekday evening MRI appointments available.
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Bentley Hospital
Bentley Health Service (B Block)
33-56 Mills Street
Bentley
Ph: 9232 3800
Fx: 9350 5644
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
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Bethesda Hospital
25 Queenslea Drive
Claremont
Ph: 9286 0400
Fx: 9286 0430
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
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Booragoon
260 Leach Highway (corner Norma Road)
Booragoon
Ph: 9333 5600
Fx: 9317 8368
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
Saturday 8:30am-12pm*
Weekday evening MRI appointments available
*Please note: not all services are performed on Saturdays.
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Hollywood Consulting Centre
Hollywood Consulting Centre
Suite 2
91 Monash Avenue
Nedlands WA 6009
Ph: 6373 0000
Fx: 6373 0020
Monday- Friday 08:30am-5:00pm
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Innaloo
8 Odin Road
Innaloo
Ph: 9329 5400
Fx: 9329 5490
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
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Joondalup
Level 1 Shenton House
57 Shenton Avenue (cnr Grand Boulevard)
Joondalup
Ph: 9400 0600
Fx: 9400 0690
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
Saturday 8:30am-12pm*
Weekday evening MRI appointments available.
*Please note: not all services are performed on Saturdays.
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Joondalup Health Campus
Shenton Avenue
Joondalup
Ph: 9400 0500
Fx: 9400 9033
All services Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
In addition, weekend and evening MRI appointments available
Inpatient on-call service available 24/7
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Midland
Victoria Street Radiology
21-23 Victoria Street
Midland
Ph: 9374 2600
Fx: 9374 2691
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
Saturday 8:30am-12pm*
Weekday evening MRI appointments available.
*Please note: not all services are performed on Saturdays.
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Midland Public Hospital
1 Clayton Street
Midland
Ph: 6274 3500
Fx: 6274 3590
All services Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
In addition, weekend and evening MRI appointments available
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Morley
29 Collier Road
Morley
Ph: 9375 0700
Fx: 9375 0790
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
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Mount Medical Centre
Level 2
140 Mounts Bay Road
Perth
Ph: 6228 6200
Fx: 6228 6240
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
Saturday 9:00am-12pm*
In addition, weekend and evening MRI appointments available
*Please note: not all services are performed on Saturdays.
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Murdoch
Wexford Medical Centre
3 Barry Marshall Parade
Murdoch
Ph: 9312 7800
Fx: 9312 7878
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
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Nollamara
217 Wanneroo Road (corner Morley Drive)
Balcatta
Ph: 9440 7400
Fx: 9440 7490
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
Saturday 8:30am-12pm*
Weekday evening MRI appointments available.
*Please note: not all services are performed on Saturdays.
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Rockingham
215 Willmott Drive
Waikiki
Ph: 9599 3900
Fx: 9592 9893
All services Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
In addition, weekend and evening MRI appointments available
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South Perth Hospital
1 Burch Street
South Perth
Ph: 9474 7600
Fx: 9474 7630
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm
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Subiaco
Magnetic Resonance Centre
127 Hamersley Road
Subiaco
Ph: 9380 0900
Fx: 9380 4188
All services Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm
In addition, weekend and evening MRI appointments available