Published
Jan. 25, 2024
•
Reviewed by
Annah J. Vollstedt, MD
on
April 5, 2026
This shot uses an anesthetic and steroid to numb the pudendal nerve. It is done in the office. You do not need sedation or medicine ahead of time. It can be done alone or along with trigger point injections.
What happens during the procedure?
- A gentle pelvic exam is done first. This helps your provider find the part of the pelvis where the nerve can be reached.
- Then, the anesthetic and steroid are injected into the space next to the nerve. You may get 1 to 4 shots.
- A small, curved needle guide is used to place the shot.
- The shot may feel like a pinch or burn, but the pain should not be strong or last long.
What are the possible side effects?
These side effects are rare, but can happen:
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Tissue damage
- Numb or tingly feeling in the genitals
- Numb or tingly feeling in one or both legs
Some people feel pain right away or 24 to 48 hours later.
After the injections:
- How long pain relief lasts is different for each person.
- Doing physical therapy right after the shots may help them work better.
- You may have a flare of pain after the shot or not get relief. We may need to repeat these shots with a new method or medicine.
- You may have numbness in 1 or both legs. This should not last more than a few hours.
- You may feel less urge to go to the bathroom. This can cause leaks. If you are numb and cannot feel the urge, try to pee every 2 to 3 hours until the feeling comes back.
- Rest today. You can start normal activity tomorrow.
- Take your normal medicines unless your care team says otherwise.
- If you take blood thinners like clopidogrel (Plavix®), aspirin, or warfarin (Coumadin®), you can start taking them tomorrow.
- You may have a small amount of vaginal bleeding. This is normal and should stop by the next day.
- Do not use tampons unless told to do.
- Do not use douches or have sex for 24 hours.
- You can use a vaginal suppository medicine as normal.
- If a local anesthetic was used with the steroid, your original pain may come back within 8 to 10 hours. It may take 2 to 3 days for the steroid to help your pain.
Contact your health care team if you have:
- A soaked pad every hour for 2 hours.
- A lot of swelling or redness by the injection site.
- Lasting pain that is new at the injection site.
- Temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
- New numbness or tingling that last more than 24 hours.