Are you living with chronic pain and desire a less invasive treatment option to help you manage the pain? When inflammation and irritation cause radiating pain, making it difficult to do your regular activities, it is time to consider an epidural steroid injection. Hamilton Interventional Pain Management Associates provides cervical and lumbar epidural injections to its patients to help them manage chronic and debilitating pain. Although temporary, an epidural steroid injection aims to offer relief so you can resume regular activities and other treatments. Read the following discussion to find out more about epidural steroid injections.
When Do You Need Epidural Steroid Injections?
Your doctor may recommend this injection to help you maintain chronic pain from irritation and inflammation of your spinal nerve root. Inflammation and irritation may cause radiating pain, numbness, muscle weakness, and tingling sensation.
How Do You Prepare For Epidural Steroid Injections?
Your doctor will ask questions concerning your current medical prescriptions and supplements and then tell you which ones you will avoid during treatment, especially blood thinners. Next, you may undergo diagnostic imaging tests like MRI and CT scans to help determine the precise location of the treatment area. You may have to tell your doctor about possible pregnancy because your doctor may use fluoroscopy during treatment. Avoid food and drinks a few hours before your treatment, and lastly, ask questions concerning your treatment.
What Happens During Epidural Steroid Injection?
Your doctor will begin by cleaning the treatment area and injecting local anesthesia to help you not feel pain during the injection. Once the anesthesia takes effect, your doctor may use a fluoroscopy to help guide the needle to the exact spot requiring treatment. After the injection reaches the epidural space, your doctor may inject contrast material to provide an easier vision of the treated area. Next, your doctor will gently inject the medication, combining local anesthesia and corticosteroid. Lastly, your doctor will apply pressure to the treatment site to prevent bleeding, clean it and then apply a dressing. You can rest for a few minutes so your doctor can watch you for immediate complications.
Is The Procedure Painful?
You will likely feel a pinch when your doctor uses local anesthesia to numb the treatment area. After the numbing injection, you will not feel anything but may experience pressure, a burning and tingling sensation, and momentary pain. Any discomfort during treatment will disappear after the injection. However, inform your doctor immediately if you experience intense and sharp pain during treatment.
What Are The Benefits of Epidural Steroid Injections?
First, you will experience temporary pain relief that allows you to perform rehabilitation exercises to treat the underlying source of your pain. Next, pain relief will allow you to resume your normal life, thus improving your quality of life. Additionally, epidural steroid injections may reduce the need for invasive procedures like surgery as a pain management technique.
Epidural injections are a safe and effective option to help you manage chronic pain resulting from certain health conditions. However, you may have to remember that these injections will not cure the exact cause of your pain. Instead, you will enjoy temporary pain relief that allows you to return to normal activities and physical therapy to improve your function and mobility. You can talk to your doctor about this treatment option and raise doubts concerning epidural steroid injections and their effectiveness in pain management.