Epidural Steroid Injections Specialist in Allen and Plano TX
American Pain and Wellness offers epidural steroid injections to help relieve your chronic low back pain and leg pain. If you are looking for a safe and effective treatment for your chronic pain in Allen TX and Plano TX, contact us today or request an appointment online.
A doctor may give you epidural injections (also called epidural steroid injections) in order to help decrease tingling, pain, or numbness in your buttock, back, or leg. These could be the result of a disc or back problem. The injection goes directly into your epidural space, which is the area in your back around your spinal cord. The injection may have both a local anesthetic and a steroid medicine. Local anesthetic medicine numbs your nerves for a short time right away. Steroids help reduce swelling and pain, but they take a few days to start working.
Some people end up getting a series of injections over weeks or even months.
A doctor may utilize an imaging test before your injection, as tests may show where your nerve problems are. This can be done through a CT scan, MRI, or an X-ray. After finding the right spot, the doctor may inject a numbing medicine in the same area where you will get the steroid injection. Then they will put the needle for the steroid into the numbed area. Some pressure might be felt, and you might also feel some stinging and burning during the injection. The injection takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and you will leave the doctor’s office about 30 minutes after you get it (note to patients: you will need someone to drive you home).
How long do epidural injections last?
Epidural injections might give you short-term relief from the pain you are experiencing. On average, pain relief from the shot lasts anywhere from one week to one year. According to doctors and healthcare professionals, the steroid kicks in between two to seven days, and its effect can be short-lived or last quite a while.
What are the side effects of epidural steroid injections?
The procedure has very few risks, except for temporary localized pain from the injection. Rarely, there could be a puncture of the sac that contains spinal fluid, or other rare complications like bleeding, infection, or nerve damage. Side effects of epidural steroid injections are typically temporary and include temporary weight gain, hot flushing, or a short-term increase in blood sugar.
What is the success rate of epidural steroid injections?
The success rates of epidural steroid injections may vary, depending on a number of factors. While some patients report significant pain relief, other patients may not experience this benefit from the procedure. The effects of the injection could last for only a week or may continue for almost a year. Some common factors that may affect the success of the injection include the underlying condition, route of administration, or the type of steroid.
Recent studies demonstrate that the epidural steroid injection procedure is quite successful for those with sciatica due to disc herniation. It has also been proven beneficial for those with lumbar spinal stenosis, with patients experiencing 50% less pain a year following the injection. Researchers recently found an 89% success rate of epidural steroid injection treatment for acute lumbar disc herniation in professional football players.
Do epidurals help herniated discs?
Epidural steroid injections are commonly used to treat back pain caused by a slipped disc (herniated disc), sciatica, spinal stenosis, or lumbar radiculopathy.
What kind of doctors perform epidural steroid injections?
Epidural steroid injections can be performed by several types of doctors, including physiatrists, interventional radiologists, and pain management physicians, all of whom are trained to perform the procedure.
If you are experiencing back pain or sciatica, we encourage you to learn more about epidural steroid injections. American Pain and Wellness offers epidural steroid injections to help treat pain. Contact us and book an appointment through our website.
