Pain Management

What is a Pain Management Injection?

Unlike standard oral or topical pain medication, Image Guided Pain Management treats the pain or discomfort directly by injecting medication with a needle into the affected area using image guidance.

Pain management is an interdisciplinary medical approach to relieving pain and improving quality of life. We offer pain management through fluoroscopy or ultrasound guided injections and post-injection physiotherapy in order to provide a full-range pain treatment program.

What to expect during your exam

Your appointment will take approximately 20-30 minutes depending on your exam. Upon arriving to your appointment, you will be you will be greeted by our friendly staff who will help prepare you for your appointment by checking you in and having you fill out the required consent forms. You will then be asked to change into a clinic provided gown
When called into the exam room you will be positioned on the exam table by an assisting technologist.
The area being injected is cleansed using an antiseptic agent and a local anesthetic called Xylocaine/Lidocaine is then injected to numb the area. If booked under Fluoroscopy guided the contrast solution is then injected in the area. This allows for the Radiologist to precisely see the area being injected on our real time image screen. The corticosteroid medication is then injected.
The degree of discomfort during the procedure is generally mild as the injection is precisely guided and the corticosteroid injection follows the anesthesia injection; however, each individual will experience this differently.
The radiologist may determine that imaging is required prior to the injection (such as x-rays or ultrasound). In these cases you will be scheduled for this exam immediately before the injection and your appointment may be 10-30 minutes longer.
A greater degree of discomfort may occur if:
- The area to be injected is severely painful or the underlying inflammation is severe
- There is general anxiety/phobia of needles and other medical procedures
After the procedure you will be asked to wait in our waiting area for ten minutes. Although side effects are rare this measure is put in place to ensure there are no immediate reactions succeeding the injection.

Exam Preparation

Please be sure to arrive at least 10 minutes before your appointment to allow enough time to change and prepare for your examination.
Please note: if there is a chance that you are pregnant, the exam may not be possible. If pregnancy is suspected other options using ultrasound guidance may be considered by the Radiologist.
Continue to take all regular medications as prescribed by your doctor.
Please be aware that your doctor may need to prescribe medication changes prior to your procedure if you are on blood thinners.
If possible, do not take any pain medications on the day of your exam. This allows us to better assess your response to our treatment.
If your doctor has prescribed a medication for us to inject please call us as we can likely provide it to you directly.
Gowns are provided for your comfort. If you prefer to wear your own clothing and full undergarments, be advised that your clothing could be accidentally stained by disinfectant.
Once treatment is complete a staff member will ask that you remain in the waiting area for 10 minutes and will re-evaluate your pain level.
Please refrain from any heavy lifting or strenuous activities for at least 24 hours following your treatment, or as advised by your doctor.
Serious complications are extremely rare but can happen. It may be normal to experience some mildly increased pain and discomfort the day after your procedure. However, if you suffer steadily worsening pain, experience fever/chills or any sign of infection, develop new numbness or weakening in your limbs, or lose normal bladder/bowel control contact your doctor immediately. If your doctor is unavailable, proceed directly to the nearest hospital Emergency Department.
All procedures have the potential to affect your ability to operate a motor vehicle. We recommend that you arrange transportation to and from the exam.

FULLY COVERED

All of our services are fully covered by Alberta Health Care.

Accepting Any Requsition

We accept requisition forms from any other diagnostic imaging company.

State-Of-The-Art

Diagnostic Facility