Services > Day Of Procedure

What to Expect the Day of your Interventional Procedure

Capital City Paincare requires that all patients have a driver for their interventional procedure. If you are having a simple bedside joint injection or peripheral nerve injection, we do not require a driver. Patients are encouraged to eat meals and take medication as previously prescribed. Some patients may find it preferable to take their pain medication prior to the procedure.
When you arrive for your procedure, the staff will ask you to review and sign a consent form. A pre-procedure blood pressure will be measured. You will then be taken to the interventional suite for your procedure. Most injections last an average of 10-20 minutes. There is some brief discomfort during the injection. However, the injections are well tolerated. Most patients report that the anxiety they experience the night before their procedure is the most negative part of the experience. Some patients require an oral medication to relieve their anxiety. If you think that you may require medication to alleviate your pre-procedure anxiety, please notify Dr. Blake or the staff so that arrangements can be made in advance for you to obtain a prescription from your pharmacy.
After the procedure, you will be taken back to the recovery area and a post procedure blood pressure will be measured. You will be monitored for a period of time and then released to the care of your driver. When making arrangements for transportation, we request that you budget at least an hour and fifteen minutes for your appointment.

Post Procedure Discharge Instructions

  • The area injected may be tender or bruised.
  • Apply ice to the area (30 minutes on and 30 minutes off) as needed up to 48 hours
  • Do not drive for the remainder of the day unless approved by the physician.
  • There are no diet restrictions.
  • You should notify the physician at 614-947-9173, if you experience any of the following: fever, chills, redness, or new onset weakness.
  • Due to the steroid injection, you can have increased fluid retention.
  • If you are a diabetic, you may notice an increase in your glucose for up to 72 hours. You may need to take extra insulin. If your glucose, elevates above 400, call your family physician for instruction.
  • Continue your regular medications. If you are currently on blood thinners (Plavix, Coumadin, Pletal, Ticlid), you may resume these medications after 24 hours.
  • Do not lift over 15 pounds for at least 48 hours. You may return to work the next day unless otherwise instructed by your physician.

Activity after the procedure

Capital City Paincare requests that you resume your typical activity in moderation. If you have a physically intensive occupation, we recommend that you take a day off. You may feel sore or fatigued after your procedure. If you require a work excuse, please notify the Capital City Paincare staff at the time of your procedure. If your pain resolves after the injection or you have a dramatic improvement, please increase your activity level slowly. Keep in mind that if you have had pain for a prolonged period of time, your body has become deconditioned and you are essentially “out of shape”. Returning too quickly to vigorous activities could re-exacerbate your pain problem or even result in a new injury. Please use good judgment and common sense. Please do not do anything that you would be embarrassed to tell your mother about.

Outcomes

Interventional Pain Management Procedures are successful in most patients. The success rate depends on the patient’s pre-procedure level of pathology and functional expectations. For many patients, the injections allow them to avoid surgery entirely. For some patients, the injections allow them to delay surgery for when they are able to take time off from their occupations. Some of our patients are not medically fit for surgery and the injections allow them to live their life independently or to enjoy the remainder of their life with some degree of comfort. In an unfortunate few, the injections have no impact and a surgical consultation is scheduled.
Please keep in mind that while the injections may make you feel better, they will not turn back time. Once you begin to feel better, it is up to you to make life style decisions to maintain the way you feel. These decisions may include: smoking cessation, weight loss, regular exercise, and may be even modification in the level of physical activity.

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