Are you suffering from lower back pain and need instant relief without surgical intervention? If yes, then epidural injections are just for you. These injections are very common non-surgical treatments that are used to treat lower back or leg pain. They provide instant pain relief for both short and long term. However, they may cause some side effects sometimes. Learn everything you need to know about Epidural injections for pain relief through these FAQs (frequently asked questions). Visit the best Pain Management Clinic in Brooklyn at Doral Health & Wellness or log on to www.doralhw.org.
8 FAQs on Epidural Injections for Pain Relief
These FAQs will help you to know about epidural injections for pain relief.
- What are epidural injections and when are they used?
Ans. These injections involve injecting local anesthetics with steroids directly around a pinched nerve that exits the spine within the epidural space. The epidural space is a region between the bones of the spine surrounding the nerves and spinal cord. This injection is also known as epidural steroid injection or epidural corticosteroid injection.
These injections are used to treat lower back pain caused by herniated discs, lumbar or cervical radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, sciatica, or leg pain. The steroids are used in this work as anti-inflammatory medication to reduce inflammation and pain from the irritated nerve that causes discomfort.
- When should you consider epidural injections for pain relief?
Ans. You should consider epidural injections when you have intense pain in your legs or arms from inflamed spinal nerves, and you want quick relief. Often, these nerve passages from the spine to your arms or legs get narrowed, causing the pain. This narrowing also causes inflammation of your spinal nerves. Many conditions may cause this narrowing, including:
- Herniated disks.
- Joint cysts.
- Bone spurs.
- Thickening ligaments in the spine because of spinal arthritis.
- Sciatica.
- Lumbar spinal stenosis.
- Postherpetic neuralgia.
This injection reduces inflammation and opens up the passages to promote pain relief. It is also used to aid in surgical planning.
- How do epidural injections work?
Ans. These injections contain steroids that control the inflammation by using chemical, mechanical, or immunological irritants in the spine in the following way:
- Stop the production of chemical substances from discs: chemical substances like phospholipase A2 may be released from degenerated or herniated intervertebral discs, which activate nerve fibers that cause pain. Steroids can synthesize specific inhibitors that stop the production of these chemicals.
- Limit the production of inflammatory mediators of pain: Steroids also limit the production of inflammatory pain mediators like leukotrienes and prostaglandins.
- Lower spontaneous nerve pain signals: Steroids can suppress ongoing nerve pain by lowering the spontaneous signals that occur from inflamed, irritated, or compressed nerves.
- What types of steroids are used in epidural injections?
Ans. Two types of steroids are used in epidural injections based on their particle size, ability to dissolve in water, and combination together. It includes:
- Particulate steroids: These non-water-soluble or particle steroids aggregate together or deposit at the site of nerve inflammation or compression for a long duration to provide long-term pain relief. The most common particulate steroids are triamcinolone and methylprednisolone.
- Non-particulate steroids: These water-soluble or non-particulate steroids may have smaller particle sizes or not aggregate together, but they stay in the epidural space for a shorter duration of time to provide short-term relief. The most common non-particulate steroids are dexamethasone.
- What benefits can you get from epidural injections?
Ans. When epidural injections are administered in the lumbar epidural space, it may provide you with the following benefits:
- Reduce nerve pain and inflammation: Steroids can lower the production of inflammatory chemicals and lower the sensitivity of nerve fibers to pain, which generates fewer pain signals.
- Limit oral medication: Pain relief with these injections may lower or eliminate the need for oral medications.
- Continue/re-engage in physical therapy: This injection may provide enough pain relief to allow the patient to progress with a rehabilitation physical therapy program.
- Postpone surgery: Pain relief from this injection may postpone surgery or make physical therapy effective to eliminate the need for surgical intervention.
- How to prepare for an epidural injection procedure?
Ans. To prepare for an epidural injection procedure, you should follow the doctor’s guidelines. If you have diabetes or any other medical condition, your doctor may tell you what changes you need to make in your diet or medication before the procedure.
- What to expect during the epidural injection procedure?
Ans. This procedure is done in the hospital or outpatient clinic. During the procedure, you need to change into a hospital gown and lie face down on the X-ray table to make it easier for the doctor to locate the exact location where you have pain. The doctor cleans the area of your back where the needles need to be inserted. A numbing medicine is applied to numb the area and make you relax. The provider then inserts the needle into the back, where the X-ray machine helps to guide the needle to the correct spot in the back. A mixture of steroids and numbing medicine is injected into the area to decrease swelling and pressure on the large nerves around the spine and relieve pain. The numbing medicine identifies the painful nerve. You may feel some pressure when the injection is inserted, but no pain. Don’t move during the procedure because the injection needs to be administered very precisely. After the procedure, the doctor monitors your vitals for 15 to 20 minutes before sending you home.
- Are there any side effects that happen after the epidural injections?
Ans. Epidural injections are generally safe, and sometimes, they may cause side effects that get better in a few days. It includes:
- Mild pain at the injection site.
- Temporary worsening of usual pain
- Flushing of the face and chest with warmth and increase in temperature.
- Sleeping issues.
- High blood sugar.
- Water retention.
- Menstrual changes.
In rare cases, serious complications can occur, including:
- Allergic reaction.
- Bleeding.
- Nerve damage.
- Infection.
- Paralysis.
Epidural injections are generally safe to use for pain relief. If your pain doesn’t get better with other non-surgical treatments and you want to postpone surgery, this option is good for you. Discuss the risks and benefits of epidural injections before taking the injection for pain relief.
If you need help with chronic pain issues, visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!!! If your pain needs professional assistance, visit our pain management clinic in Brooklyn today or call to get a consultation. Our location at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212 is well-served by public transportation, including many bus routes, and the subway line. Visit our website at https://doralhw.org/department/pain-management/ or contact us on +1-718-367-2555 for additional details.
