Epidural Steroid Injections

What are epidural steroid injections?

Epidural steroid injections are minimally invasive procedures to treat pain by injecting anesthetic and anti-inflammatory (corticosteroid) medications into the epidural space of your spine. The medications relieve inflammation and disrupt pain signals that travel from your spinal nerves to your brain.

Dr. Patel offers several types of epidural steroid injections in-office including:

• Cervical epidural steroid injections for neck pain
• Lumbar epidural steroid injections for lower back pain
• Thoracic epidural steroid injections for mid-back pain

Dr. Patel also offers sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) blocks for migraines. Depending on the nature of your condition, she chooses which injection is right for you. 

What conditions can epidural steroid injections treat?

Epidural steroid injections can be an effective treatment option for chronic pain that results from underlying spine conditions, like spinal stenosis or a herniated disc.

These conditions can irritate the nearby tissue, causing chronic inflammation and pain. Damaged discs and spinal stenosis also put excess pressure on the nerves in your spinal canal and result in chronic, shock-like pain in your back and neck, which can also radiate into your:

• Arms
• Legs
• Hands
• Feet
• Hips
• Buttocks
• Shoulders

By using epidural steroid injections to numb the nerves responsible for pain, Dr. Patel can help you find long-term relief of pain. 

In turn, you can increase your physical activity or engage in physical therapy to strengthen the health of your spine. This helps boost your natural healing ability to keep you pain-free.

What can I expect during epidural steroid injections?

During your injection, Dr. Patel uses fluoroscopy, special real-time X-ray imaging, to guide the needle into the proper position in your spine. Once the needle is in place, she delivers the medication into the epidural space.

The injection may cause you some discomfort, and it’s common to feel pressure in the treatment area. The procedure typically takes up to 15 minutes to complete, and you can go home to rest for the remainder of the day. You’ll need a friend to drive you home.

Dr. Patel provides aftercare instructions, and you can expect to resume your usual activities the next day. However, you may need to limit strenuous exercise and heavy lifting for several days.

Some people experience some relief of pain immediately after treatment, but it can take several days before the full benefit of an epidural steroid injection is noticeable. 

Dr. Patel may also recommend maintenance injections to keep you pain-free and active, depending on the root cause of your pain.

Find out more about the benefits of minimally invasive epidural steroid injections by calling Delmarva Pain and Spine Center or by requesting an appointment online now.