A cough. A sneeze. A deep breath. These actions are immensely painful to those who suffer from costovertebral joint pain. For these people, the common cold is an agonizing affair as every quick expansion of the lungs sends a shot of pain from the spine to the ribs. Even when not suffering from a cold, an inflamed costovertebral joint makes bending, twisting, or other movements of the spine feel like a red-hot poker sticking in the shoulder blade or the chest.
This joint pain is similar to knee or elbow tendonitis in that it can be painful and treated in a similar manner, but different in that it’s almost impossible to rest your lungs. Costovertebral joint inflammation can occur over time but is often the result of a sudden spinal movement or back injury.
The costovertebral joint is where the flat part of the thoracic vertebra (the outer spine) meets the end of the rib. This joint is lined by cartilage but when it becomes inflamed or worn, the result can be especially painful.
At Northeast Spine & Sports Medicine, we offer dozens of pain management treatment options and procedures to help patients live better. Costovertebral joint injections are just one of the procedures we offer, helping ease pain for sufferers from student athletes to retirees. By injecting a sedative and steroid into the joint, inflammation is reduced and pain is severely decreased if not completely eliminated.
In this outpatient procedure, a patient lies beneath a fluoroscope. Patients who undergo this procedure may be given a mild sedative to aid in relaxation. Once the inflamed joint or joints are identified, a doctor administers local anesthetic to the area and then administers the sedative and steroid combination.
Long-term pain relief typically starts two to five days after the procedure. Because mild sedatives and local anesthetic may be used, patients undergoing this treatment should arrange for transportation to and from our office.
To learn more about costovertebral joint injections and everything our back pain doctors in New Jersey do for our patients, please browse our site, give us a call, or Request an Appointment online.
