Blocking intercostal nerve pain with injectable treatment

A man visits the doctor for intercostal nerve block treatment.

When your intercostal nerves or the tissues around them become irritated or inflamed, you will likely know it! This type of pain affects the nerves below each of your ribs and can arise due to trauma (such as rib fractures) or conditions like shingles and postherpetic neuralgia. Fortunately, our Board-certified anesthesiologists and pain management specialists, Drs. Stephen N. Tafor and Sandeep Datta can stop the pain (with nerve block treatment), so you can start leading your fullest life again! Since it is already distressing enough to be in pain, The Hemlock Pain Center has alleviated your stress and hassles by maintaining four convenient locations in Macon, Warner Robins, Dublin, and Milledgeville, Georgia. We are close by when you need us the most.

What is a “nerve block”?

Nerve blocks are a category of injectable treatments. They contain both a steroid medication and a local anesthetic that, in tandem, alleviate inflammation and ease pain.

How is an intercostal nerve block injected?

This medication is applied under your ribs. It helps to relieve pain that may be felt in the chest and upper abdominal region. In addition to therapeutic purposes, intercostal nerve blocks may be used to aid in detecting the root cause or source of pain.

Am I a good candidate for injections?

Our specialists take an interdisciplinary approach to pain management. We work with referring physicians, other specialists, and some of the area’s top surgeons. In some cases, surgeons may use nerve blocks prior to procedures to help with pain management. As noted, we can also use intercostal nerve blocks for diagnostic purposes. We may be able to pinpoint if the pain is visceral (related to your internal organs) or if it is somatic in nature, originating from the muscles, skin, joints, and other tissues. It can be difficult to localize visceral pain, due to it being so vague and primarily characterized by a deep, squeezing sensation. Intercostal nerve blocks help to provide the insights that are needed to inform the next steps in treatment or interventions to support sustained pain relief.

How is an intercostal nerve block performed?

We’ll first ask you to recline on your (non-painful) side or your stomach. A sedative may be incorporated into the treatment to help you relax and keep you comfortable. Once your skin is cleansed, we will inject the anesthetic to numb the treatment site. As specialists, we have access to some of the most advanced technologies to aid in treatment. We may use these technologies to help guide us to the exact site where the nerve block needs to be injected. After you are fully numb and the correct location has been determined, we will inject the block as close to the affected nerve as possible. You’ll rest for around 15 to 30 minutes as the medication takes effect.

A man is suffering from intercostal nerve pain.
A happy couple after receiving treatment for intercostal nerve block.

How quickly does the medication take effect?

Every patient is different; however, some of our patients have reported an improvement in their pain shortly after the injection. Sometimes, the pain returns within a few hours (as the effects of the anesthetic wear off). Usually, it takes around 48 to 72 hours for the longer-term relief to really kick in (as the steroid begins to take effect). Relief can last several months, and, unlike other nerve blocks, the intercostal nerve is relatively accessible. So, we may want to get you into a routine of periodic injections at one of our four The Hemlock Pain Center locations.

To schedule your one-on-one evaluation today, contact our patient care coordinators in Macon, GA (478) 475-2385, Warner Robins (478) 997-6444, Dublin (478) 800-3745, or Milledgeville (478) 280-4670.