Know more about injections for back pain

Know more about injections for back pain

Dealing with back pain can be difficult for some patients. Sometimes the pain is difficult to treat and painkillers may not be the right solution. Depending on the situation, doctors may use epidural steroid injections. In this post we will discuss some aspects of such injections in detail.

What is an Epidural Steroid Injection?

The use of injections for lower back pain is limited to certain cases, but it is certainly one of the many ways to treat chronic pain. An epidural steroid injection essentially contains an anesthetic to relieve pain with a corticosteroid. For the uninitiated, corticosteroid is a form of steroids known to have anti-inflammatory effects. The injection helps relieve pressure from the nerves and surrounding areas and muscles, which can provide significant rest while the pain medication provides immediate relief. Corticosteroids can work independently to relieve pain. However, since most patients want immediate effects, an anesthetic is used.

Know the procedure

Please note that you cannot ask your doctor for epidural steroid injections. If the patient no longer responds to non-surgical treatments, doctors do not try ESIs. In most cases, certain imaging tests are done to find the right place where the nerve roots are being pressed or have a problem. In some cases, the doctor may use an X-ray machine to find the correct point where the needle needs to be placed.

The need for epidural steroid injections

Typically, epidural steroid injections are used as a last resort to provide pain relief, especially for extreme pain often associated with a condition known as “lumbar spinal stenosis.” This condition begins primarily in the lower spine and often spreads to the legs. There is limited information about how these injections may work in the long term, but like most steroid injections, this provides relief for the next few weeks. It is always best to speak to your doctor who can suggest further details regarding this. However, other treatments are also tried and used for lumbar spinal stenosis.

What are the side effects?

There can be some side effects with ESIs, but they vary from case to case. In most cases, the focus is on pain reduction, so minimal side effects are ignored. However, if you have trouble breathing or swelling in the facial area, contact your doctor immediately. There may be some pain at the injection site, but if this does not go away in the next few days, contact your doctor. For immediate swelling at the injection site, you can use ice, which also provides some relief from the associated pain.

Pain management clinics have a wealth of information about epidural steroid injections. If you want to know more about lumbar spine stenosis, you should consult a doctor at the earliest. With early intervention, other treatments may work more effectively for you, but it also depends on how you respond to standard treatment plans.

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