Interventional spine procedures are a minimally-invasive, evidence-based option for painful spinal conditions and are commonly used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Doctors in the Sutter Health network have extensive training and experience in evaluating patients with spinal pain, safely performing spine procedures and providing a quality patient experience. Our goal is for our patients to have reduced pain, improved ability to exercise and participate in physical therapy, and be able to return to important life activities.

After a clinic appointment with a doctor, you’ll be scheduled to return to an ambulatory surgery center, hospital or outpatient clinic to have the procedure performed.

Using real-time x-ray (c-arm fluoroscopy), the doctor carefully places a needle to the pain-generating target in the spine and delivers numbing medicine (local anesthetic), anti-inflammatory medicine (corticosteroid) or radiofrequency energy. You’ll return home the same day and require minimal recovery time.

Fluoroscopically-guided spine interventions offered include:

• Transforaminal epidural steroid injection
• Interlaminar epidural steroid injection
• Caudal epidural steroid injection
• Facet joint injection
• Medial branch block
• Facet joint radiofrequency ablation
• Sacroiliac joint injection