ESP Block

Have you ever gone to your pain practitioner and asked him or her about an ESP block? If so, did they respond with, “I had a feeling you were going to ask me about that.”

Well, an ESP block has nothing to do with extrasensory perception. It does have much to do with pain relief, usually in the mid back. An erector spinae plane (ESP) block is generally used to treat nerve related pain in the thoracic region, chest/breast pain, rib associated pain, or thoracic postoperative pain.

Typically, an ESP block places local anesthetic between the erector spinae muscle and the transverse process of the vertebra which lies beneath. It is thought to block both medial and lateral branches of spinal nerves resulting in significant pain relief.

If you have been experiencing nerve pain in the mid back, there is no need to look to your crystal ball for pain relief. Go to your ASAP pain provider who has the ability to use ESP to your benefit.