Is it normal to feel nervous about a procedure?

Some nervousness before a procedure is common and doesn't indicate anything is wrong. What tends to be more useful than reassurance is knowing exactly what happens physically, so here's that in plain terms.

Most injections — epidural steroid injections, diagnostic and therapeutic nerve blocks, medial branch blocks — use a local anesthetic to numb the skin and underlying tissue at the injection site before the procedure needle is placed. Patients are awake throughout. The local anesthetic injection itself is a brief pinch and burn lasting a few seconds; after that, most patients describe pressure or a dull ache rather than sharp pain.

More invasive procedures — spinal cord stimulator and DRG stimulator implantation, kyphoplasty — typically add mild IV sedation on top of local anesthesia. This keeps the patient relaxed and comfortable without general anesthesia; patients are monitored throughout and typically recall little of the procedure itself. Every procedure on this site, regardless of anesthesia level, is done under fluoroscopic or ultrasound image guidance for precise needle and lead placement.

Patients with a specific concern — needle phobia, a past bad experience with a procedure, anxiety that affects their ability to stay still — should raise it beforehand so sedation or other accommodations can be planned into the visit.