Does Insurance Cover Back Pain Injections?
When it comes to back pain, there are a lot of potential treatments available — some are effective while some aren’t highly recommended. Back pain injections, however, are the most effective minimally invasive treatments for chronic back pain.
Some of the most popular methods of treating back pain include surgeries, the use of opioids or narcotics, and minimally invasive treatments like epidural steroid injection and facet joint injection. You should generally avoid back pain surgeries because they’re risky and not as effective as modern minimally invasive procedures. You should avoid narcotics because they don’t treat the underlying root cause of back pain, are temporary, and can lead to addiction.
As such, you should only rely on back pain injections and other minimally invasive procedures for chronic back pain treatment. Not only are back pain injections minimally invasive and effective, but they’re also extremely safe and they work almost immediately. The biggest issue is that most people believe back pain injections are expensive.
While it’s true that back pain injections can be expensive, you may be able to get insurance coverage for back pain injections if they’re medically necessary. Please consult the best interventional pain physician near your location because they’re specifically trained to diagnose the root cause of back pain and treat it accordingly.
In this article, we discuss the details of interventional pain management and does insurance cover back pain injections.
Epidural Steroid Injection
An Epidural Steroid Injection is a minimally invasive procedure in which the steroid is injected into the epidural space to reduce inflammation caused by lumbar disc herniation or spinal stenosis. This procedure generally concludes within 30 minutes and it provides back pain relief for several months.
During the procedure, the interventional pain physician will apply anesthesia to your skin to numb the affected region. Following that, the pain physician will provide a mild sedative to calm you down and then inject a needle with the corticosteroid into the epidural space in your back under fluоrоѕсорe guidance. The medicine will be applied to the inflamed and affected nerves to reduce inflammation and relieve back pain.
Side Effect of Epidural Steroid Injection
Epidural steroid injection carries a negligible risk of side effects. You may experience some mild and temporary anxiety, sleeplessness, fever, or weight gain. However, the side effects are extremely mild and fleeting. In extremely rare cases, you may experience some bleeding or infection — but you can avoid that by going to the right interventional pain management center.
Advantages of Epidural Steroid Injection
An epidural steroid injection has the following advantages:
- Highly effective.
- Provides immediate back pain relief for several months.
- Minimally invasive and non-surgical procedure.
- Conducted under local anesthesia so it’s painless and comfortable.
- You can resume your daily activities immediately after the procedure since there’s no downtime.
- The whole procedure finishes within 30 minutes.
Disadvantages of Epidural Steroid Injection
In extremely rare circumstances, the epidural steroid injection may possibly weaken your tendons and cartilage because it’s a strong medicine. Consult a good interventional pain management center because they will provide the correct dosage to avoid this.
Does Insurance Cover Epidural Steroid Injection?
A single Epidural Steroid Injection may cost as much as $600. However, you can get insurance coverage for this back pain injection if it’s medically necessary and meets the medical guidelines of your insurance provider. Please discuss this with your interventional pain physician.
Facet Joint Injection
A Facet Joint Injection is a minimally invasive and non-surgical procedure in which a local anesthetic is injected into the nerves surrounding your vertebrae. The anesthetic fluid is injected into the nerve roots to prevent them from transmitting pain signals to your brain. This is the best pain management technique for those who suffer from arthritis.
During the facet joint injection procedure, you will have to lie down on your abdomen and the interventional pain physician will scrub your back with an antiseptic soap. Following this, they will inject the anesthetic fluid into the nerve roots of your facet joints in your lower back under x-ray guidance. This will provide immediate pain relief.
Side Effect of Facet Joint Injection
Facet joint injections are completely safe — in most cases, you will only experience some mild numbness for a few hours after the procedure. This is normal because of the anesthetic influence. In extremely rare cases, you may also experience side effects like bleeding, nerve injury, or infections — you can avoid these by going to a good interventional pain physician.
Advantages of Facet Joint Injection
The following are the primary advantages of a facet joint injection:
- Minimally invasive procedure.
- You don’t experience any pain or discomfort because it’s done under the anesthetic influence.
- The whole procedure concludes within an hour.
- This is an outpatient procedure and you can resume your daily activities almost immediately.
Disadvantages of Facet Joint Injection
Facet joint injection is mostly only suitable for chronic back pain resulting from arthritis and the effect isn’t permanent — you’ll have to get another shot in a few months.
Does Insurance Cover Facet Joint Injection?
The cost of a single facet joint injection may range from $1,000 to $1,600. However, your insurance may cover a part of the treatment if it’s a medically necessary procedure and depending on the insurance provider’s policies. For more information on this, please discuss it with your interventional pain physician.
Schedule an Appointment with an Interventional Pain Specialist
Pain Treatment Specialists is the best interventional pain management center in the country with some of the finest board-certified interventional pain specialists. We accept all major insurances and we give you a complete breakdown of the cost of treatment — with and without insurance — before the treatment so you can proceed with a clear mind. For more information on back pain injections, please schedule an appointment today.
Meet our
Board Certified Team
Director of Pain Management | Double Board Certified
Pain Management
Anesthesiology
Harvard Medical School
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. George Hanna is a nationally recognized pain management specialist and double Board Certified in anesthesiology and pain management medicine.
Dr. Hanna is currently available at Pain Treatment Specialists in Manhattan and Clifton, NJ.
TRIPLE Board CERTIFIED | NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY pain specialist
Pain Management
Venous Medicine
Aesthetics
Harvard Medical School
Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Dr. Michael Nguyen is world renowned in Pain Medicine. Dr. Michael completed his residency and advanced Pain fellowship training at Harvard Medical School. During his tenure at Harvard, Dr. Michael was awarded the “Mentor of the Year” and also “Teacher of the Year” award. After graduating, Dr. Michael taught for two years at Harvard – training new graduates on the latest modern advances in interventional pain management for multiple pain ailments.
Meet our Board Certified team
George
Hanna MD
Director of Pain Management
Harvard Medical School
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Michael
Nguyen MD
Harvard Medical SChool
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