You suffer from pain in your back, legs or joints but the underlying cause of the pain isn’t clear. This is why your medical practitioner has proposed you undergo a trial injection with local anaesthetic. This page further outlines what this treatment entails

Treatment objective

The objective of the trial injection is to find the painful structure, which can be a:

• Facet joint
• SI joint
• Nerve root
• Intervertebral disc
• Other joints such as the hip, shoulder, wrist, or ankle

By administering a trial injection the medical practitioner can make a better diagnose which in turn means you’ll receive the correct treatment.

Treatment

Depending on the structure being injected, you will lie on your stomach or back. Under X-ray guidance, the doctor will insert a needle into the area to be examined. The doctor will then inject a contrast agent to ensure the fluid stays at the structure being examined. Next, the doctor will inject a small amount of local anesthetic (Xylocaine 2%). After one hour, the doctor will ask you whether the pain has subsided. Sometimes it is necessary to repeat this procedure a few times until the source of the pain is identified.