Aftercare Instructions
What to expect, what to do, and what to watch for after a procedure at Modal Pain Management. Written and reviewed by Dr. Alex Movshis, MD.
Questions? (646) 290-6660, 24/7Each page below covers one procedure: the first evening, the first week, the side effects worth knowing about, and how long to wait before judging the result. Every page prints as a one-page sheet with a QR code that leads back to the full guide. If the instructions you were handed at discharge differ from a page here, follow the ones you were handed, because they were written for your medications and your procedure.
After an Epidural Steroid Injection: Rest, Sleep, Activity, and Warning Signs
The first evening, the first week, and the first month after a lumbar or cervical epidural steroid injection, with the evidence behind each instruction.
Read the instructions →After a Medial Branch Block: Pain Diary, Recovery, and Next Steps
The hours after a medial branch, genicular or SI lateral branch block are the test itself. Fill in the diary on this page while the numbing medicine works.
Read the instructions →After Radiofrequency Ablation: Recovery, Worse Pain, and When Relief Starts
The first two weeks after spine, sacroiliac or knee nerve ablation, why many people feel worse before they feel better, and when to judge the result.
Read the instructions →After a Cortisone or Gel Joint Injection: Rest, Flares, Exercise, and Warning Signs
The first day, the first week and the first months after a cortisone injection into the knee, hip or shoulder, or a hyaluronic acid (gel) injection into the knee, with the evidence behind each instruction.
Read the instructions →After a PRP Injection: Recovery Time, Walking, Worse Pain, and Anti-Inflammatories
The first days, weeks and months after a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection into a tendon or joint, with the evidence behind each instruction and an honest note where none exists.
Read the instructions →After an Occipital Nerve Block: Side Effects, Worse Headache, and How Long It Lasts
The hours and weeks after a greater or lesser occipital nerve block, with how often each side effect happens in the trials and the warning signs that need help.
Read the instructions →After Trigger Point Injections: What Not to Do, Soreness, and Side Effects
The hours and weeks after trigger point injections into the neck, shoulder, back or buttock muscles, with the evidence behind each instruction and a plain note where there is none.
Read the instructions →After an SI Joint Injection: Recovery, Pain Diary, Leg Numbness, and Worse Pain
The hours and days after a sacroiliac (SI) joint injection, with an interactive pain diary, how often each side effect happens, and the warning signs that need help.
Read the instructions →After Botox for Chronic Migraine: What to Do, When It Starts Working, and Your Headache Diary
The day of your Botox for chronic migraine, the 12 weeks after it, the headache diary that decides whether it is working, and the rare warning signs that need help.
Read the instructions →After a Stellate Ganglion Block: Side Effects, Recovery, and Signs It Worked
The hours and weeks after a stellate ganglion block, with how often each side effect happens, the one late warning sign to know, and what to expect by condition.
Read the instructions →Two rules that apply after every procedure
Emergencies go to 911 or the nearest emergency room. That includes chest pain, trouble breathing, a seizure, loss of vision, new weakness in an arm or leg that is getting worse, new numbness in the groin, new loss of bladder or bowel control, or fever with worsening pain at the injection site.
Everything else that worries you is a phone call. The office line, (646) 290-6660, is answered day and night. A two-minute call is better than a night of wondering whether a symptom is normal.