Neck and back pain can tank a person’s quality of life. The pain can disrupt quality sleep and the ability to work properly, which may lead to mental health problems.
You may be experiencing pain or tingling and numbness in the neck, arm, and shoulder for nerve irritation in the cervical region. In contrast, you may be experiencing pain in the lumbar region’s lower back, legs, hips, and buttocks.
If you are experiencing neck and arm pain, our specialists at Tarpon Interventional Pain & Spine Care administer steroid injections to relieve the pain. Read on to learn more regarding this standard procedure.
What Are Epidural Steroid Injections?
Epidural Injections deliver steroids to the epidural space around the nerve roots in the spine. The injections alleviate pain in different body parts like the leg, back, or shoulder caused by irritated spinal nerves.
Epidural injections contain steroids which reduce nerve inflammation. Pain relief is successful for approximately 70% to 90% of patients. The goal of epidural steroid injections is to relieve patients’ pain to enable them to progress with rehabilitation and cannot be considered a cure for leg or back pain.
How Epidural Steroid Injections Work
Epidural steroid injections work by delivering anti-inflammatory medication precisely to the painful areas. The injections may be given purely as steroids or by mixing steroids with anesthetic medicines and saline. To precisely place the needle at the injection site, x-ray guidance is necessary.
The injections help control inflammation of the nerve roots that causes pain in the back or legs. Reduced inflammation enhances a faster natural healing process in the injured area.
Inflammation in the spinal nerves may occur due to irritation from a pinched nerve or a damaged disc. A patient may experience pain and or numbness and tingling sensations depending on the inflamed nerve area in the spine.
Epidural steroid injections also work by minimizing immune system activity to decrease inflammatory cell production in the body. The injected steroids disperse into the nerve endings, distributing an anti-inflammatory effect throughout the painful regions.
Types of Epidural Injections
Various techniques may be used to administer the injections depending on the patients’ diagnosis and the underlying condition.
1. Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection
It is performed to deliver medication to the area where the nerve root exits the spine. The needle is inserted between the spine and spinal cord.
Inflammation or irritation of the nerve root causes pain that begins in the back extending downwards to the legs. It helps treat sciatica and other back issues and is the first approach for an epidural injection.
2. Caudal Epidural Steroid Injection
The shot is administered if the pain is focused at the base of a patient’s spine. The needle is inserted below the lumbar spine or the lower back.
Caudal injections are helpful in leg pain from sciatica and herniated discs. They can be beneficial in cases where post-surgical changes prohibit other treatment approaches.
3. Interlaminar Epidural Steroid Injection
Interlaminar or translaminar shots are administered anywhere in the spine, directly into the epidural space at the affected region. The injection helps treat multiple areas at once. The shots effectively treat neck, back, leg, and arm pain.
Doctors thoroughly evaluate a patient’s medical history before recommending the best type of epidural injection to meet the patient’s needs. The process is short and painless.
Benefits of Epidural Steroid Injections
Epidural treatment helps in types of pain caused by back problems like sciatica, degenerative disc disease pain, herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and radiculitis.
Additionally, it effectively relieves leg and neck pain without the harmful effects of oral medication. The injections may help avoid or delay surgery.
The injection provides pain relief enabling a patient to continue with a rehabilitative physical therapy program.
Role of Epidural Steroid Injections In Neck And Back Treatment
The injections are used for the following reasons:
- To help diagnose the pain generator
- To provide therapeutic pain relief by reducing inflammation
- To improve neck and back mobility
Effectiveness of Epidural Steroid Injections
Studies have proven the efficacy of the shots throughout the spine, with 70% to 90% of patients experiencing pain relief for a week to a year.
A second dose may be administered if the first response was good and the effects of the first injection begin to wear off. Normally, three to six injections may be distributed over one year. Chronic conditions may require three to six months between injections.
Patients with a new disc herniation who respond favorably may permanently resolve back pain.
Who Performs Epidural Steroid Injections
Health providers administer the injection with highly specialized training since the shots are technique-sensitive. The healthcare providers include:
- Surgeons
- Neurologists
- Anesthesiologists
- Radiologists
- Physiatrists
You can live comfortably without neck, leg, and back pain. Contact Tarpon Interventional Pain & Spine Care to schedule an epidural steroid injection appointment today.