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Spinal anesthesia is also called a spinal block, intradural block, intrathecal block, and is a form of regional anesthesia. Basically it involves the injection of a local anesthetic or an opioid into what is called the subarachnoid space. A very technical word just to say that you’re getting an injection of local anesthetic right around your spinal cord. Usually we do this through a very fine needle. It’s very safe and effective, and it can be used as an alternative to general anesthesia, that’s when you go to sleep. It is commonly used in surgeries involving the lower part of body, usually below your belly button. Along with epidural anesthesia, it’s also the choice for cesarean section. The local anesthetic with or without an opioid is injected into the space, causing analgesia, motor, sensory and sympathetic blockage. That means that you lose complete sensation of that part of your body. Different types of needles are injected and different types of local anesthetic are injected in the mix. The needle that we use may influence some of the side effects that you may experience after the block is done.
