Is getting spinal anesthesia is painful and how is the procedure?

Not painful: Most times when we do spinal anesthesia we provide IV sedation to the patient before we even begin. The patient is usually sitting up on the side of the bed. The back is cleaned with a sterile solution, and then a small amount of local anesthetic is placed at the skin. This is the part that "hurts", that is to say there is a small bee sting at the skin. Then the spinal is done. Minimal pain noted.

Relatively painless: Spinal anesthesia is normally relatively painless. You should only feel a mild stinging when they numb the skin prior to insertion of the spinal needle. Occasionally, the spinal needle may hit a nerve root and cause tingling or a slight electric sensation.