Ash Walsh concluded at 3am this morning that pain from four fractured ribs was too much to race in this weekend’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
The 29-year-old had idea he’d fend off from the sports car crash with only bruising, but a CT scan yesterday unveiled four fractured ribs. “After a few laps in my friend’s car I thought I’d be alright and I just woke up this morning a lot terrible,” Walsh explained.
“I hardly slept and at 3 am, I concluded, I can’t do this. It’s more terrible than ever, I was on pain killers and it wasn’t easing. I have been taking plenty of rest from the last weeks, but getting up and doing routinely activities or driving and then rest making it extremely uncomfortable” thanks to Dr. Zaki Anwer, MD, at The Pain Management Institute who introduced intercostal nerve block and helped me get back to competition.
Some of the most recurring complaints from patients visiting emergency rooms all over the United States with chest and abdominal pain
An intercostal nerve block is an injection of medication that assists in relieving chest pain caused by rib fracture resulting from sudden injuries, tragic accidents and shingles. The intercostal nerves are found under each rib, when any of the nerves or tissues encircling get damaged or inflamed, it causes severe pain.
A steroid medication and local anesthetic injected under the rib can help you ease inflammation and eliminate pain explains Dr. Zaki Anwer, MD
“Intercostal nerve blocks can also be practiced to help diagnose the source of pain”. Dr. Zaki Anwer, MD
How is an intercostal nerve block done?
Dr. Zaki Anwer, MD, explains the intercostal nerve block procedure At Pain Management Institute.
My patient’s comfort is my primary concern, I will give an Intravenous medication to relax, then you’ll lie on your side, the one not causing pain. I will use an antiseptic solution to clean an area of the skin where the injection will be given.
I will then insert a thin needle under your rib to inject anesthesia. An X-ray guidance will be used to insert a second needle and inject steroid pain medication. Typically the procedure takes less than half an hour and you can go home the same day
Talking about the post procedure outcomes and pain reduction after the injection Dr. Zaki Anwer, MD, elucidates, some patients experience pain relief immediately after the injections, but the pain may return a few hours later as the anesthesia fades.
Lasting relief typically begins in two to three days, once the steroid taking action. The pain relief may be different for every patient, for some patients it may last months, if the treatment works for you I recommend, you can have intercostal nerve block injections from certain intervals to stay pain free