What Will Happen?
- You will be admitted to the day surgery by a nurse and will be asked to change into a gown.
- The anaesthetist will speak with you and place a cannula (plastic needle) into a vein on your hand.
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In the procedure room, you will be assisted to position on the
procedure table lying on your side with the hip to be injected upmost.
- The anaesthetist will give you some sedation into your vein.
- An X-ray machine will be used to determine where the doctor will place the needle for your procedure.
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Steroid and local anaesthetic will be injected once correct
placement has been established with use of X-ray contrast (Omnipaque). The procedure will take around 10 minutes.
- After the block, you will be placed on a trolley and taken to recovery, where you will remain for approximately 1 hour.
- After having something to eat and drink, you will be discharged with a carer.
Post Procedure
- Gentle activity and rest is recommended in the first 24 hours following the procedure. You may then return to normal activity.
- The local anaesthetic will wear off 12 - 18 hours following your procedure.
- The steroid will take 48 hours to start working. During this time, there may be a window of increased discomfort or pain.
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Caution should be taken if any leg heaviness occurs. Activity must
to be kept to a minimum until full leg sensation returns.
- A
nurse from HPC will telephone you 24 - 48 hours following your
procedure to check on your progress and organise a follow-up
appointment.
- The steroid may remain effective for 1 – 6 months, depending on amount of irritation or inflammation present.
If you require further explanation of the procedure, please contact Hunter Pain Specialists nursing staff on (02) 4985 1800.