Patients searching for pain management Lincoln, NE, services can ask their provider whether AMI’s diagnostic or interventional services may be appropriate for their condition.
Understanding where discomfort originates can help the care team select an appropriate next step. Back pain may involve the vertebrae, discs, joints, nearby soft tissues, or an irritated nerve. Symptoms may remain in the lower back or travel into the hips and legs. Certain patterns may be described generally as neuropathic pain when they involve burning, tingling, numbness, or pain associated with nerve irritation.
Imaging can help the referring provider and radiologist evaluate the spine, spinal cord, surrounding nerves, and other structures when clinically appropriate. AMI offers several options for selected back and spine conditions, including the Intracept Procedure, selective nerve blocks, vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, and image-guided steroid injections. An epidural steroid injection may be used to place anti-inflammatory medication in the epidural space surrounding the spinal sac, nerves, and spinal cord when inflammation contributes to low-back or related leg symptoms.
The procedure recommended depends on the diagnosis, medical history, imaging findings, and treatment goals. Some procedures help identify the source of discomfort, while others may reduce inflammation, relieve symptoms, or improve function.
Depending on the condition and procedure, earlier care may include:
- Rest or activity modification
- Physical therapy or guided exercise
- Prescribed pain medicine
- Other nonsurgical treatment suited to the diagnosis
For eligible patients, treatment in AMI’s comfortable outpatient setting may involve less pain, downtime, and recovery than traditional surgery. AMI shouldn't be described as a medication-management practice or a general pain center, but its interventional radiology team does provide several image-guided options for selected causes of pain.