Epidural steroid injections or spinal injections or epidural in short is a method used to relief an aching back in which steroids are delivered to the painful area with the help of a syringe. It is not a new method. It was first documented in 1901 and first used in 1952 to treat low back pain with associated sciatica (pain in the sciatic nerve due to lumbar disc hernia). It has now become an important part of non-surgical management of low back pain.
Typically, leg and/or chronic low back pain are treated with an epidural steroid injection these days. It has also proven itself to be a very beneficial way of relieving an episode of severe back pain. Its effects tend to be providing relief from pain for one week up to one year allowing the patients to progress with their rehabilitation program.
It has significantly reduced back pain for approximately 50% of the patients.
How it Works?
It works by delivering steroids directly to the painful area to help decrease the inflammation that may be causing the pain. Also, it is considered that there is an eliminating effect from the injection that removes inflammatory proteins from around the structures that may cause pain.
Who Should Not Use Epidural Steroid Injections?
Doctors don’t prescribe epidural steroid injections for:
• women who are pregnant and use fluoroscopy
• people with a systemic or local bacterial infection
• people who have bleeding problems
• people whose back pain is due to a tumor
Doctors usually do an MRI scan of the back pain patients prior to injecting them to rule out these conditions.
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