Argentina’s president receives injection for acute lower back pain

By Bala Chambers

BUENOS AIRES (AA) - Argentine President Alberto Fernandez received a radicular block injection Thursday to provide pain relief for a herniated disc, according to a press release from his medical team.

Fernandez may receive further treatment if the procedure proves unsuccessful.

The medical procedure had originally been scheduled for Friday, but the president arrived at Otamendi Hospital in the Recoleta neighborhood of the capital Buenos Aires shortly after 5 p.m. local time (2000GMT) after wrapping up his agenda, according to news agency Noticias Argentinas.

Fernandez returned to his residence at Quinta de Olivos, where he will continue to be monitored.

The statement was signed by Dr. Federico Saavedra, who has been Fernandez's personal physician and has been treating him for more than a decade.

It added that the public will be kept informed about the state of Fernandez's health.

A radicular block procedure typically involves inserting a small needle into the nerve root where the pain is and administering medication.

On Tuesday, Fernandez was taken to the Otamendi Hospital after suffering from acute lower back pain after working from home for a couple of days.

Fernandez has had health issues in recent months. During a trip to Bali, Indonesia in November last year to attend the G20 summit, he suffered from erosive gastritis and was transported to a local hospital.

In April 2021, Fernandez also became infected with the coronavirus.

In June 2019 while he was a pre-candidate for his political party Frente de Todos ahead of presidential elections that year, he was admitted to a private hospital after being diagnosed with pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining of the lungs which typically causes sharp chest pains.