Epidural Steroid injection

Overview

Epidural steroid injections are used to treat certain types of chronic pain. Often this involves pain in the neck, back, arms and legs caused by inflamed or pinched spinal nerves. Your doctor will use advanced imaging to guide an injection of a steroid or corticosteroid into the epidural space surrounding your spinal cord.

The procedure, often done in an outpatient setting, may bring pain relief to patients who have spine and nerve inflammation. The pain relief duration varies between patients.

Who Benefits?

Epidural injections can help people suffering from a variety of conditions, including herniated or bulging discs, spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spine), scoliosis, post-operative pain, shingles and neuropathic pain.

Are There Different Approaches to This Treatment?

Depending on the location of the impaired nerve, the injection will be made into the neck, lower, middle or upper back.

Recovery Expectations

After the injection, you will rest in a chair or bed for up to an hour. There may be some initial discomfort at the site of the injection and your doctor may suggest resting for the rest of the day. Your pain may get worse for a couple of days after the injection. Epidural treatments can take up to a week to provide pain relief.