Epidural Steroid Injections

What is an epidural steroid injection?

An epidural steroid injection is a minimally invasive therapy for persistent back and neck pain.

Treatment involves injections of a steroid medication into the epidural space of your spine. The medication provides long-lasting relief of chronic inflammation that presses on nearby nerves.

The injection might also contain an anesthetic to disrupt nerve signals that travel from your spine to your brain to reduce the severity of your pain.

Why would I need an epidural steroid injection?

The Advanced Pain Management team offers different types of epidural steroid injections based on where nerve inflammation occurs in your spine.

Cervical epidural steroid injections

Cervical epidural steroid injections can relieve chronic neck pain from conditions like a herniated disc or spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spine).

Thoracic epidural steroid injections

Thoracic epidural steroid injections focus on relieving pain in the thoracic spine (mid-back) due to conditions like spinal stenosis, spinal injuries, and arthritis.

Lumbar epidural steroid injections

Lumbar epidural steroid injections provide chronic pain relief in the lumbar spine (lower back) to treat conditions like spinal stenosis, sciatica, and rheumatoid arthritis.

What happens during an epidural steroid injection?

The team at Advanced Pain Management provides epidural injections in a comfortable office setting. Before you receive your injection, your provider applies a topical anesthetic to your skin.

As you rest on an exam table, your provider guides the needle into the right place in your spine. They can use fluoroscopy, a live X-ray technology, to ensure the injection goes into a specific area within the epidural space of your spine.

First, you receive an injection of a dye that shows up on the fluoroscopy to confirm the target area. Your provider then injects the steroid and anesthetic medications into the nerve roots.

You might experience some pain relief after your injection. However, it can take several days to feel the full effect of the treatment. If your pain relief lasts only for a short period of time, the team at Advanced Pain Management can repeat the injection several times a year.

Learn more about the pain-relieving benefits of epidural steroid injections by calling the office of Advanced Pain Management nearest you or by booking a consultation online today.