Dorsal Root Ganglion injections
The Dorsal Root Ganglion is the part of the nerve root where the cell bodies from the nerve are clustered together. It can be thought of as a junction box for the nerve root. It is from here that the nerves leave the spinal cord and move on into the arms and legs. Examples include the Radial nerve in the arm or the Sciatic nerve of the leg.
Where pain is thought to be the result of nerve inflammation, for instance following a sporting injury or a slipped disc causing sciatica, targeting the Dorsal Root Ganglion can often be used, both to diagnose the source of the pain, and to treat it. Using a local anaesthetic, steroid or Radiofrequency technique can black or adapt the signals through the junction box reducing pain and symptoms. This technique might also be used to treat pain resulting from nerve problems in a limb such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or post Trauma or Surgical Pain.
Injection around the ganglion may take the form of local anaesthetic, with medications such as steroid, or using techniques that pass gentle electrical currents near the nerve in order to modulate and adapt the way it functions. This is termed radiofrequency therapy. These injections are very commonly performed by spinal specialists. The dorsal root ganglion has also become a target for spinal cord stimulation.
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Understanding Spinal Injections
London Spine Specialist 
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