Chapter 22: Cancer pain assessment and management
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Single nerve blocks and injections
Single peripheral nerve blocks and injections such as trigger point and joint injections can provide excellent symptomatic relief. They can be used when pain occurs in the field of one or more peripheral nerves (Ripamonti et al. [189]). Examples include intercostal nerve blocks for pathological rib fractures and trigger point injections in areas of severe muscle spasm or spasticity. These are performed as ‘single shot’ injections and can be repeated every 3–6 months. They are usually combined with other pain treatments as it is rare that these techniques alone will provide sufficient pain relief.
