treatment. If it is, we need to schedule the procedure, which will be done in a surgery center under sedation. We use a fluoroscopy table and an x-ray machine to direct the needle to the nerve that is inflamed and inject some contrast to isolate the nerve and make sure we are in the right place. Once we have it pinpointed, the steroid is injected near that nerve. The procedure takes five to ten minutes.
We can do up to three injections – one every two weeks – and if we resolve the swelling of the nerve, it can last for years, or it might never come back. Research indicates that 80 percent of people respond to the injection, but I find with my patients it’ s up to 90 percent. Can you give any additional advice to law enforcement officers?
My friends in law enforcement, please be smart and vigilant, just like you are when protecting and serving our communities. Because chronic pain conditions can be very challenging and complex, let’ s take some time to get to know your situation on a very personal level. Continuity of care is the best way to get to the bottom of your pain and find a resolution. My goal is to treat the pain at its source by performing minimally invasive proce-dures, and I have more than twenty years of experience and suc-cess. I can not only feel your pain, I can do something about it.
Dr. Marcello Sammarone is a fellowship-trained, triple boardcertified pain physician and anesthesiologist with more than 20 years of clinical experience, including 13 years at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. He has been in private practice since 2011. His philosophy is to provide the highest level of personalized, compassionate and quality service.
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