Nerve Root Block Treatment in Mumbai | Precision Nerve Pain Relief

When a disc herniates, a vertebra degenerates, or the foramen narrows, the exiting nerve root is compressed and chemically irritated. The body releases inflammatory mediators that sensitise the nerve root and amplify pain transmission.

Local anaesthetic blocks sodium channels in the nerve fibre membrane, immediately interrupting pain transmission. This produces rapid but temporary relief and tells the specialist which nerve is responsible. Corticosteroid over the following days and weeks to suppress the inflammatory cascade and decrease the environment that keeps the nerve sensitised, creating a window for meaningful physiotherapy.

Different sections of the spine, different nerve roots, different symptoms:

• Cervical (neck): Roots C2 through C8. These are the ones behind cervical radiculopathy, pain, tingling, or weakness that travels down one arm, sometimes into the hand. A cervical NRB targets the specific root responsible.
• Lumbar (lower back): Roots L1 through S1. This is where sciatica lives, radiating pain, numbness, or weakness running down one leg, sometimes all the way to the foot. By far the most common reason people end up in a conversation about NRB.
• Thoracic (mid-back): Less common, but thoracic nerve root blocks target pain that wraps around the ribcage or chest wall in a band-like pattern, often after an injury or in degenerative thoracic spine conditions.
• In some cases involving multilevel cervical pathology, your specialist may combine an epidural approach with selective nerve-root targeting to address the right level while still covering a broader area.

• Sciatica and lumbar radiculopathy - Radiating leg pain, numbness, or weakness from an irritated nerve root.
• Cervical radiculopathy - Arm pain, hand numbness, or weakness from a compressed cervical nerve root.
• Herniated or slipped disc - Single-level disc herniation compressing a specific spinal nerve root.
• Foraminal stenosis - Narrowing of the nerve exit channel causing chronic nerve compression.
• Post-surgical radicular pain - Persistent nerve-root pain after spinal surgery.

You might be, if:

• You've had radiating arm or leg pain for more than four to six weeks that hasn't settled with medication and physiotherapy
• An MRI confirms a herniated disc or narrowed foramen at a specific spinal level
• Your pain clearly follows the pathway of a single nerve root
• Your MRI shows problems at multiple levels and nobody's sure which one is actually symptomatic, this is one of the most valuable diagnostic uses
• You'd rather avoid or delay spinal surgery if a less invasive option can provide meaningful relief

You're probably not a candidate if you have an active spinal infection, uncontrolled bleeding risk, a known allergy to contrast dye or corticosteroids, or active cancer at the injection site. Diabetic patients can still have NRB, but blood glucose needs close monitoring afterwards since corticosteroids cause a temporary spike.

Best Doctors to Perform NRB Treatment in Mumbai

Before the procedure:

• Review of your medical history, medications, and spinal imaging
• Pausing NSAIDs and blood thinners for 7 days, only on medical advice
• Disclosing allergies, particularly to iodine contrast, local anaesthetic, or corticosteroids
• Monitoring blood glucose if diabetic

What happens during treatment:

• Positioning - You lie face down, with a pillow under the abdomen to open the spinal levels.
• Sterile preparation - The skin is cleaned and local anaesthetic numbs the area.
• Fluoroscopic guidance - Real-time X-ray identifies the target nerve-root foramen.
• Needle placement - The needle advances under continuous fluoroscopy to the precise spinal level.
• Contrast confirmation - Contrast confirms correct needle position before any treatment is delivered.
• Injection - Local anaesthetic and corticosteroid are slowly injected around the nerve root.
• Recovery and discharge - You rest for 20-30 minutes; the first-hour response provides critical diagnostic information.

A temporary increase in nerve symptoms or injection-site soreness during the first 24-48 hours is normal, as local anaesthetic wears off and before the steroid takes effect.

Seek immediate medical attention if you develop fever above 38°C, rapidly worsening leg or arm weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control, or severe uncontrolled pain at the injection site. These are rare but important red-flag symptoms.

Benefits

• Pinpoint diagnostic precision - Confirms the exact nerve root causing pain
• Targeted therapeutic relief - Delivers anti-inflammatory medication directly to the sensitised nerve root
• Non-surgical - No incisions, general anaesthesia, or hospital admission
• Guides surgical planning - Confirmation of a specific root makes surgical decisions more precise, reducing wrong-level risk
• May help avoid surgery - Clinical evidence shows NRB can reduce surgical rates in radiculopathy when combined with rehabilitation

Risks and Side Effects

• Temporary soreness - Generally settles within 1-3 days
• Brief symptom worsening - As local anaesthetic wears off, usually resolving within 24-48 hours
• Temporary steroid effects - Facial flushing or elevated glucose in diabetic patients for 3-5 days
• Rare procedural complications - Dural puncture, infection, or allergic reaction are recognised but rare, mitigated through sterile technique and imaging

Permanent nerve damage or paralysis are exceptionally rare with image-guided NRB performed by an experienced specialist at Nivaan.

Cost varies depending on the spinal level targeted, the number of nerve roots injected per session, the corticosteroid used, and whether fluoroscopic image guidance is included. Most patients require one to three sessions in total.

Clinical evidence shows selective nerve root block provides significant pain relief in approximately 46-57% of patients at 6-12 months, with the strongest outcomes in acute single-level radiculopathy from disc herniation.

• First hour - Relief from local anaesthetic confirms the nerve root
• Days 3-7 - First meaningful improvement as the steroid effect builds
• Weeks 4-12 - Maximum therapeutic benefit
• 3-6 months - Typical duration for responders; some maintain benefit beyond 12 months with physiotherapy

Sciatic nerve injection at the correct lumbar level for acute disc herniation consistently shows the strongest outcomes. Chronic, long-standing compression tends to produce more limited benefits.