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Somatic Nerve Blocks for Pain Management
The nerves that people usually think of are somatic nerves. Injection of these nerves with local anesthetic can block nerve impulses to some degree. Blocking pain impulses in a nerve may have some value in management of pain. After the somatic nerve block wears off, the pain will most likely return unless the cause of the nerve pain is addressed. Thus we emphasize tissue regeneration procedures as longer-term solutions. However, the good news is that after nerve blocks some of the time the pain upon return of nerve function may be less, at least for some period of time. And it is reasonable to repeat such somatic nerve blocks at some time after the pain escalates once again.
Each situation is unique. The nerve in question, the patient's overall medical condition, and other factors may determine how aggressively we chose to block the nerve in question. Our preference is for lesser, milder blocks for a number of reasons, but each unique situation has to be considered as it presents itself.
