Illustration by Cindy Chung, Verywell
What Is Bone Marrow?
Thebone marrowis the tissue inside the bone where blood cells are made.
How Painful Is a Bone Marrow Biopsy?
Illustration by Cindy Chung, Verywell
A bone marrow biopsy can be an uncomfortable or painful procedure.
At a minimum,local anesthesiais given in the skin and tissue where the biopsy will be taken.
This numbs the area.
With this injection, there may be a burning sensation as the numbing medicine goes in.
Some doctors will offer the procedure with additional anesthesia.
With it, medications to reduce anxiety and pain are given through an intravenous line (IV).
This bang out of sedation makes the procedure much more comfortable.
Techniques such asbreathing exercises,mindfulnessand distraction may be helpful in reducing pre-procedural anxiety.
It can also be done to monitor treatment progress in conditions such asleukemiaorlymphoma.
The purpose is to sample bone marrow tissue along with a portion of bone.
The procedure is usually about 30 minutes long.
You may want to ask your provider when they will expect to have them back to review.
After the biopsy, youll likely be given an appointment to follow up with your healthcare provider.
This may be in a few days or weeks depending on how long the results are expected to take.
The needle insertion site should heal in about a week or so.
Dont wait for your appointment if something is going on sooner.
This may mean that certain diseases were not found.
It may also mean that the bone marrow is functioning normally.
The exact finding will be discussed by your healthcare provider, and can vary greatly.
Many bone marrow disorders are treatable.
This may be done as part of a workup for abnormal blood tests or an evaluation for cancer.
It can be a painful procedure, but medications and anesthesia may be used to reduce the pain.
Results may take up to a few weeks, and should be reviewed with your healthcare provider.
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