What are epidural injections?
Epidural injections deliver pain and anti-inflammatory medication into the epidural space in your spine. The epidural space is the fat-filled portion of your spine that protects your spinal cord and spinal nerves.
The Spine Group offers epidural injections to ease pain conditions that involve irritation or compression of your spinal nerves.
Am I a candidate for epidural injections?
Your interventional pain management physician at The Spine Group determines if you’re a candidate for epidural injections after a consultation. The practice takes a collaborative approach to care, working with your other health providers to ensure you get the results you need.
Your pain physician may consider you a candidate for epidural injections if you have chronic neck or back pain from:
- Herniated discs
- Bone spurs
- Spinal arthritis
- Radiculitis
- Slipped vertebrae
- Spinal stenosis
These conditions cause narrowing of the spine or compress a spinal nerve, leading to inflammation and pain. An epidural injection reduces inflammation and eases pain and may help improve your participation in other treatments like physical therapy.
What happens during epidural injections?
Your provider at The Spine Group customizes your epidural injection treatment plan to meet your specific pain needs. They review the details of your injections at your consultation so you know what to expect.
While you lie on the exam table, your provider adjusts an X-ray machine over your body to ensure accurate placement of the medication. Your provider inserts the needle into your spine and injects a contrast dye to confirm placement, and then injects the medication.
Your provider may have you remain at the office for monitoring before sending you home. You must arrange to have someone drive you home after your epidural, but you should be able to resume most of your usual activities within a day or two.
You may feel relief from your pain within 1-3 days after the injection. However, for some people pain relief may take up to a week.
How long do epidural injections last?
The length of pain relief from epidural injections varies. For some people, the pain relief is short-term. However, most people experience months of relief following their epidural injections.
Your provider may repeat your epidural injections as needed.
Call The Spine Group or book an appointment online today.
