PROCEDURE INSTRUCTIONS
Please review the following pre-procedure and post-procedure instructions. Contact our office with any questions or concerns you may have. We are always happy to explain things to our patients and make them feel at ease.
Anticoagulation (blood thinners) Instructions: Always tell your provider if you are on any anticoagulation therapy. Do not hold your medication without getting approval from your prescribing doctor. Our staff will assist you with this process.
Notify your provider if you have a history of glaucoma.
If sedation is used:
Our office will inform you if your procedure requires sedation. Please note these procedures may require sedation:
- Epidural Steroid injections
- Facet Joint injections
- Discography
- Nerve Blocks
- Radiofrequency Ablations
- Kyphoplasty
You MUST have a driver. Sedation can impair your ability to drive. You may not drive for 24 hours You should not eat or drink anything for 6 hours prior to your procedure You can take your medication with sips of water in the morning, NO JUICE OR COFFEE
If you are a diabetic:
- Steroid medication can increase blood glucose levels temporarily
- You will have a glucose test prior to any treatment with a steroid
- Please monitor your glucose levels closely following your procedure (epidural steroid injection or joint injections)
- Please notify your doctor if your diabetes is poorly controlled
- Patient’s with Diabetes (insulin dependent) can be given additional instructions.
- No strenuous activity or exercise for the next 24 hours
- It takes a few days, even a week or longer, for the steroid medicine to reduce inflammation and pain
- You may experience numbness for several hours. Exercise caution in using the affected area until numbness subsides.
- A small bandage will be applied. You can remove the bandage hours post your procedure.
- Continue all medication as prescribed
- If you experience soreness at the injection site, apply cold pack intermittently, place a towel in between to protect your skin
- Do not soak is a tub or use hot packs for at least 72 hours post procedure.
- You may experience discomfort or different pain pattern for the next 3-5 days following your injection
- Local skin irritation or pain
- Flushing
- Leg cramps
Notify your provider OR go to the ER immediately if you experience any of these symptoms:
- Progressive weakness
- Severe pain or headache
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Increased weakness
- Increased numbness or tingling in your arms or legs
- Signs of infection: chills, fever, pain, redness, swelling, or drainage from injection/incision site
- Increased pain
Always tell your provider if you are on any anticoagulation therapy. Do not hold your medication without getting approval from your prescribing doctor. Our staff will assist you with this process.
Here is a list of commonly prescribed anticoagulation medication and typical length of time to hold them prior to interventions
- Aspirin- 7 days
- Celebrex- 7 days
- Eliquis- 2 days
- Lovenox- 2 days
- Pradaxa- 5 days with STAT PTT
- Warfarin/Coumadin- 5 Day with Stat INR/PT prior to injection
- Xarleto- 3 days
- Plavix- 7 days
Notify your provider if you are on any of the following medication: Coumadin (warfarin), Ticlid (ticlopidine), Iprivask (desirudin), Refludan (lepirudin), Angiomax (bivalirudin), Novastan (argatroban, Exanta (elagatran/ximelagatran), Aggrenox (aspirin/dipyridamole), Persantine (dipyridamole), Arixtra (fondaparinux), Orgaran (danaparoid), Pavix (clopidogrel), Pletal (cilostazol), Aspirin, NSAIDs, Xarelo (rivaroxaban), Pentoxil, Pradaxa, ReoPro (abciximab), heparin, lovenox (enoxaprin), Fragmin (Dalteparin), Normiflo (Ardeparin), Aggrastat (tirofiban) and Integrilin (eptifibatide)