Spinal Injections in Kansas City

Spinal Injections

Live life free from back pain.

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Understanding the Basics

What are Spinal Injections?

Suffering from back pain doesn’t have to hinder your life. With spinal injections, you gain long-lasting relief from the most experienced orthopedic providers in Kansas City.

Keep in mind there isn’t a single type of spinal injection; rather, we offer a range of injections to treat multiple back conditions.

After your initial examination at Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance, we will recommend the best injection for your needs. From corticosteroids to regenerative medicine and everything in between, our practitioners provide the comprehensive care you need so you can return to the activities you enjoy.

Before assuming you have any kind of spinal instability, be sure to schedule an appointment with a Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance physician.

We can provide professional insight and a proper diagnosis to understand your treatment options.

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When a patient visits one of our Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance offices, a skilled orthopedic specialist will ask you questions regarding your symptoms, what aggravates/alleviates your symptoms, and whether you have attempted prior therapies.

Next comes a thorough physical exam. We will then review any images you bring with you and/or take new images. After determining the cause of your pain, we can then discuss which spinal injection will work best for your needs.

Other back pain symptoms that may require spinal injections include:

  • Burning pain
  • Shooting or stabbing pain
  • Weakness, tingling, or numbing
  • Pain down the back of the leg
  • Low back pain that radiates to the hip

Your First Appointment

Choosing spinal injections in Kansas City is a decision that typically involves guidance from your primary care doctor and orthopedic physician. When you choose Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance, one of our highly trained orthopedic spine specialists will conduct an initial evaluation to better understand your condition.

After a complete review of your results, your provider will then discuss whether spinal injections are the best treatment option for you.

Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance Pain Assessment

Assessing the Injury

Finding the right spinal injections in Kansas City starts with an assessment.

You can think of back pain as a spectrum, with some instances being more severe than others. The Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance orthopedic specialists always focus on each individual patient and their concerns before creating a treatment plan.

Therefore, during your initial appointment, we will often ask questions such as:

  • Does your pain currently limit you or your activities?
  • Has your pain progressed or worsened recently?
  • Have you noticed any change in your symptoms that has made it more challenging to function?
  • What are your lifestyle goals?
  • How has pain affected those goals?

From there, we can decide whether spinal injections will align best with your needs and lifestyle goals.

Your First Appointment

The Exam

Examination

After a proper assessment, we often begin with a physical examination to help determine the origin of your pain. In some cases, we may require advanced testing for a full diagnosis.

Establishing Care

Establishing a Care Plan

Based on the results of your interview, examination, and imaging studies, you can expect a custom care plan catered specifically to you.

Many people believe it’s best to wait until pain becomes severe, leading them to “push off” or delay spinal injections. If you are in constant discomfort, have shooting or stabbing pains, have limited range of motion, or an inability to perform your daily activities, spinal injections may be right for you. New technologies allow patients with back pain to fully recover and enjoy the benefits of a more functional, pain-free lifestyle.

01/05

Pre-Op

Before we perform the injection, we discuss the risks, benefits, and alternatives to the procedure, and we ensure we all agree on the path forward. During this process, we also review your allergies to ensure there are no contraindications to the procedural medications.

Dependent on your health history, your physician may require:

  • Laboratory tests
  • X-rays
  • Primary care clearance

Pre-injection instructions will vary depending on your physician and the type of spinal injection you receive. Always check with your physician prior to your injections for his or her specific instructions.

02/05

How it Works

Spinal injections typically treat radiculopathies—pinched nerves causing neck and low back pain or pain that radiates into your arms or legs—and herniated or protruded discs. Epidural steroid injections help relieve back pain by reducing inflammation.

Since Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance offers a variety of spinal injections in Kansas City, how the injection works varies from patient to patient.

However, there are certain practices we do with each patient. In general, we cleanse the injection site with a surgical cleansing solution.

After drawing up the medication, we perform the injection under sterile guided technique, using advanced imaging to ensure correct medication placement. Generally, the injection itself is the quickest part of the injection appointment.

03/05

How it Works

In some cases, we may use injections as a diagnostic tool to help narrow down your underlying condition.

Normally, diagnostic injections only last for a few hours and aren’t meant to provide long-term pain benefit.

You can think of these injections as another way to evaluate or confirm the suspected pain generator, much like your provider may recommend getting an X-Ray or MRI to get more information about your spine condition and pain.

04/05

What to Expect

It is always important for you as the patient to know what to expect with pain relief following an injection. At Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance, we outline the expected outcomes with each person.

That way, patients can make an educated decision on whether they should proceed with spinal injections in Kansas City.

Each of our spinal injections provide varying levels of pain relief.

  • Anesthetic-only injections generally work in minutes and last hours. 
  • Steroid injections may take days or even up to two weeks; however, they last several weeks before you would need another treatment. 
  • Viscosupplement injections take effect within 4 to 6 weeks and may last around six months. 
  • Orthobiologic injections see the full benefits emerge in up to 12 weeks and can last for a year or more.

05/05

Post Injection

After the injection, we will discuss any specific post-procedure restrictions or guidelines. F

or most spinal injections, we ask you to not submerge the injection site underwater for 48 hours to further reduce infection risk. Showering is okay.

If we perform a diagnostic injection, we may provide you a pain diary to write your pain response in the hours following the injection. With steroid injections, we recommend avoiding heavy exercise for 2-3 days after the procedure.

It’s normal to experience mild soreness the night of or day(s) after the injection. This is generally well managed with ice or over-the-counter pain medications.

How It Works

Continued Care

Physical Therapy

Your treatment plan may include a referral to a physical or occupational therapist to help regain range of motion, decrease pain, and increase strength in the affected area. The human body adapts and heals through movement, especially when guided by a trained musculoskeletal expert.

Medication

Your physician may recommend over-the-counter or prescription medications to reduce pain, muscle spasm, inflammation, and more. This will depend on your specific needs, symptoms, and other factors surrounding your condition.

Orthopedic Surgery

Our Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance physicians only make recommendations for surgical interventions when we have exhausted all other conservative measures or it is apparent that the only available solution is surgery. This is always a collaborative decision. It’s important you feel empowered to make the best decision for you, with your goals and timelines in mind.

Symptoms

Common Signs & Symptoms

Back pain can manifest in many forms. Anything from dull aching, acute, point-specific pain to symptoms that radiate into the buttock, hip and down the legs is all commonly related to back pain. 

Debilitating pain, sharp or stabbing pains, symptoms radiating to the lower leg and foot, an inability to stand upright, or limitations in mobility are all signs that treatment is necessary. Despite the source, for many patients, it is fairly common for the back pain to wax and wane.

Causes

Causes of back pain

At Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance, we utilize advanced technologies and testing to accurately diagnose the source of your pain. With a proper diagnosis, we can appropriately target therapies and interventions for your specific pain, leading to a quicker recovery. Common causes of low back pain include:

Additional Non-Surgical Treatments

Facet Joint Injections

Facet joint injections target the hinge-like joints that connect vertebrae of the spine. Based on your needs, your provider may use the injection as a diagnostic tool, or to treat conditions that affect the facet joints.

Sacroiliac Injections

The sacroiliac joint sits at the bottom of your spine (between the sacrum and pelvic bones). Sacroiliac injections can help alleviate pain in the low back, buttocks, and legs. 

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

RFA is a therapeutic spinal treatment that utilizes a mild electrical current to disable nerve pain by “burning” the nerve to keep it from signaling pain.

F.A.Q.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance

Meet Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance

Our board-certified, fellowship-trained physicians and surgeons are highly experienced in their respective fields and are considered among the top orthopedic providers in the Midwest.

Along with our Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, and support staff, Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance physicians deliver the utmost level of dedicated care across a range of subspecialties.

While diverse in background and capabilities, the common thread that brings all of our team members together is our patient-centered approach.

Learn More

Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance has the expertise you need.

Our care is personal. Our team is knowledgeable. And we’re more available than ever.

With access to board-certified specialists across Kansas City, we have the tools to meet almost every musculoskeletal condition.

Use our Symptom Tracker Tool to connect with the right Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance physician for your unique needs—and get back to the things that matter most.

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Our Locations

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Overland Park, Kansas

10777 Nall Ave Suite 300 Overland Park, KS 66211

Leawood, Kansas

3651 College Blvd. Leawood, KS 66211

Kansas City, Missouri

Saint Luke's Medical Plaza #1 4320 Wornall Rd., Ste. 610 Kansas City, MO 64111

Belton, Missouri

Belton Regional Campus 17067 S Outer Rd #301 Belton, MO 64012

Blue Springs, Missouri

St. Mary’s Medical Center, Main Entrance 203 NW R.D. Mize Road, Suite 250 Blue Springs, MO 64014

Shawnee Mission, Kansas

7450 Kessler St ste. 140 Merriam, KS 66204

Prairie Star (Lenexa, Kansas)

Prairie Star 23401 Prairie Star Pkwy
Bldg. B, Ste. 220 Lenexa, KS 66227

Testimonials

An incredibly efficient office.

An incredibly efficient office. Physician was attentive, knowledgeable, clear and supportive. It was a great experience.

Alan Londy

Awesome

Awesome ortho visit 😀😀😀 Thank you so much for listening to my concerns and coming up with a positive plan to help me deal with my pain
Alisha Hayes

Knowledgeable

Very friendly. Knowledgeable. Let’s you weigh all your options to make an informed decision.
Deborah Weiland

Dr. Scott Ellsworth is one of the best

Dr. Scott Ellsworth is one of the best I have ever worked with. He is knowledgeable, efficient, caring, and knows his patients. He has a special bedside manner that makes any patient in any situation feel comfortable. All of the nurses and office staff are wonderful as well.

Deb Woodard