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If you struggle with neck, back, arm, or leg pain caused by inflamed spinal nerves, you owe it to yourself to learn about epidural steroid injections. Alliance Spine & Pain has helped many patients get relief from their pain with epidural steroid injections. To learn if this treatment can help you, call one of the offices in Austell, Augusta, Woodstock, Atlanta, Marietta, Conyers, Lawrenceville, Jasper, Cartersville, Dallas, Suwanee, Covington, Carrollton, Canton, Sandy Springs, Douglasville, Peachtree City, or Roswell, Georgia, or book an appointment online today.
Epidural Steroid Injection Q & A
What is an epidural steroid injection?
Epidural steroid injections contain a corticosteroid (steroid) and local anesthetic. Your provider uses real-time imaging to inject the medications into the spine’s epidural space.
The epidural space is an area between the spinal cord and vertebrae where the spinal nerve roots reside. Medications entering this space flow through the area for a short distance, allowing them to surround inflamed nerves.
The anesthetic blocks pain signals coming from the injured nerves. That gives you quick pain relief, but it doesn’t last long.
Steroids relieve your pain by reducing inflammation, but they don’t take effect for up to a week. Your pain may temporarily return until the steroid kicks in, but once the inflammation and swelling improve, most people get long-lasting pain relief.
When would I need an epidural steroid injection?
An epidural steroid injection alleviates neck and back pain caused by inflamed spinal nerves. You may need an injection if you have inflammation caused by any of the following spine conditions:
- Herniated discs
- Bulging discs
- Facet joint arthritis
- Bone spurs
- Thickened ligaments
- Spinal stenosis
- Degenerative disc disease
If the inflammation and swelling cause a pinched nerve, your epidural steroid injection may also ease nerve-related arm or leg pain.
What happens during an epidural steroid injection?
During your procedure, you lay on a special table that allows your provider to use real-time X-rays to guide the injection.
After your Alliance Spine & Pain provider applies a local anesthetic to numb the injection site, they insert a needle down to the vertebrae and inject more anesthetic to numb the tissues.
For the next step, they ensure the medication will reach the targeted nerves by injecting a contrast dye and watching how it spreads through the epidural space. Finally, they inject the medications.
How long does an epidural steroid injection last?
Each person has a different response to medications, so there’s no way to predict how long your pain relief will last. The injection typically lasts up to three months and sometimes longer, but your results could be different.
Some people may need several injections to achieve optimal results. Others may need another treatment option if they don’t get the expected amount of relief.
To learn if you’re a good candidate for an epidural steroid injection, call Alliance Spine & Pain or request an appointment online today.