Having the injection

Before the procedure

Medicines

Tell the doctor who referred you, or tell a GP if you’re taking any:

• antiplatelet medicines, such as aspirin or clopidogrel
• anticoagulant medicines, such as warfarin or rivaroxaban
• antiretroviral medications, such as medicines for HIV

Antibiotics

We cannot give you the injection if you’ve had an infection or antibiotics in the last 2 weeks.

If you get an infection within the 2 weeks before your appointment, contact us.

Planning how you’ll leave hospital

You might feel uncomfortable and unsteady after the procedure. We recommend bringing someone who can help you to leave hospital safely.

If your symptoms have improved

You might not need this procedure anymore if your symptoms have improved. Talk to the doctor who referred you or contact us to confirm.

During the procedure

A CT scanner is a large tube with a short, open tunnel. You’ll lie down on a special bed that moves slowly through the scanner.

The scan helps us position the needle in the exact area causing your pain. We’ll take a few more small scans so we can make sure the needle is in the right place.

Try to stay as still as possible.

As we inject the medicine, you might feel some discomfort or pain. This is normal as it’s affecting the area around the nerve or joint causing your pain.

The procedure takes about 30 minutes.

After the procedure

After the injection, you’ll stay with us for 10 minutes. We’ll make sure you feel well enough to leave hospital.

You might feel numbness and tingling in your arm or leg for up to 12 hours. This will be on the side of the body where you had the injection.

Your symptoms might get worse for 1 to 3 days after the injection. This is a normal side effect of steroids called ‘steroid flare’. It usually gets better after 3 days. You can take your regular painkillers to help you manage any pain.

You can slowly go back to your normal activities after 3 days.

Follow-up appointments

The doctor who referred you for this procedure will arrange a follow-up appointment with you.