Clearly, it’s never a good time to be compromised by lower back pain or radiating leg pain. But, this time of year, when some of you are experiencing pain flare-ups after getting outdoors and being active for the first time in months, and others are planning summer events and vacations, you’re probably more anxious to find a treatment that can bring you pain relief. At NJ Pain Care Specialists, we offer a variety of interventional and minimally-invasive procedures to treat and relieve painful conditions. I’ve written about many of them in this blog, but some are worth reviewing, especially now that summer is just around the corner.
As a specialist in pain management, I’ve treated many patients with a common and effective procedure called Epidural Steroid Injections – also known as “ESIs” or simply “Epidurals.” I’m sure many of you have heard of them. Epidural Steroid Injections are a safe, non-surgical, non-invasive treatment that takes between 15 minutes and a half hour.
Who Might Benefit from Epidural Steroid Injection?
Patients with pain in the neck, arm, low back, or leg – more specifically:
Sciatica
Pain that courses along the sciatic nerve in the buttocks and down the legs. It is usually caused by compression of the 5th lumbar or 1st sacral spinal nerve.
Spinal stenosis
A narrowing of the spinal canal and nerve root canal can cause back and leg pain, especially when walking.
Spondylolysis
A weakness or fracture between the upper and lower facets of a vertebra. If the vertebra slips forward (spondylolisthesis), it can compress the nerve roots causing pain.
Herniated disc
The gel-like material within the disc can bulge or rupture through a weak area in the surrounding wall (annulus). Irritation, pain, and swelling occur when this material squeezes out and comes in contact with a spinal nerve.
Degenerative disc
A breakdown or aging of the intervertebral disc causing collapse of the disc space, tears in the annulus, and growth of bone spurs.
When you’re suffering with these conditions, your spinal nerves are inflamed due to narrowing of the epidural passages where the nerves travel as they pass down or out of your spine. These sleeve-like passages surround the spinal sac and provide cushioning for the nerves and spinal cord.
An Epidural Steroid Injection is a simple, safe and painless way to place a steroid-anesthetic medication into that epidural space, where it can have a very potent anti-inflammatory action that decreases pain and helps you function better.
I’ve found that Epidural Steroid Injections can be a highly effective treatment because they deliver the medication and pain relief directly to the source of the problem. Any painkilling medications or oral steroids you might be taking have a dispersed, less-focused impact and may bring undesirable side effects.
Epidural Steroid Injections: A Simple Procedure
So what happens during an Epidural Steroid Injection procedure at NJ Pain Care Specialists?
- Before you begin, you can request a mild sedative to relieve any anxiety and feel more relaxed, but a majority of patients do fine without it
- You lie flat on an x-ray table on your abdomen and your skin is numbed with a local anesthetic
- Either myself or an another experienced pain management physician carefully guides a thin needle into the open space where the irritated nerve roots are located
- A contrast agent is injected and a fluoroscope live x-ray device confirms that the tip of the needle is positioned properly
- A steroid/anesthetic medication is then injected to bathe the irritated nerve roots. It is believed the injection also has a flushing effect that helps remove or “flush out” inflammatory proteins from around structures that might be causing pain
- After a short recovery period, you’ll be sent home to take it easy for the rest of the day before returning to work or other activities the following morning
- To be clear, steroids will not change the underlying condition that causes your discomfort. However, you may feel significant relief after just a single procedure. Importantly, it can break the cycle of pain and inflammation and allow you to undergo physical therapy and rehabilitation, to exercise, and to heal. So, ultimately, the injections can provide benefits that outlast the effects of the steroid itself.
Epidural Steroid Injections were first administered in the mid 20th century and they have been tremendously improved over the decades. If you’re willing to give us 15-30 minutes of your time, we can help give you your life back.
Get started as soon as possible on the road to a more enjoyable summer – and beyond. Call NJ Pain Care Specialists at 732-720-0247 and ask about Epidural Steroid Injections today.
