Perineural injections are used to treat nerve pain, both in the superficial and deep tissues, with the goal to restore normal nerve function.
What to expect:
The physician will scan the area using ultrasound to check the status of the injury, then they will clean the area before introducing the needle (a low concentration of dextrose, lower than prolotherapy) using ultrasound for guidance.
Superficial Perineural Injection Therapy is when the dextrose is injected just under the skin, this acts as an analgesic to nerve pain, usually immediately. Several further treatments can lead to progressive and cumulative benefit.
Deep Perineural Injection Therapy uses the same solution but works on deeper areas of nerve irritation and inflammation, often where the nerve is pinched or caught between fascial/muscle planes or on bones. Using ultrasound for precise guidance, the dextrose solution is injected to stretch and free up (hydrodissect) the tissue surrounding the nerve, providing relief.
Sometimes, depending on where the nerve is affected, several areas along the nerve’s pathway may need to be treated, using both superficial and deep infiltrations as necessary.
Note that this differs from prolotherapy, which uses stronger dextrose injections in ligaments, tendons and cartilage to initiate a healing inflammation with new tissue growth.
(see also Prolotherapy)