Back Pain

Epidurals For Back Pain

Epidural steroid injections have fast become a very effective treatment for cases of major back pain.  Most doctors are in agreement that the epidural for back pain is very beneficial for a patient during a heightened episode of back pain.  The effects of the injection are only temporary if the source of the pain is not eliminated, usually lasting only a few weeks, or in some cases up to one year.  You can have up to three epidurals for back pain in one year.  The injection can help provide satisfactory pain relief so that the patient can proceed with physical therapy, rehabilitative stretching and a thorough exercise program. 

The long term effectiveness of epidural steroid injections are still under much debate among doctors and researchers.  The effectiveness of the injection depends on the proper placement of the injected medication.  The outcome of each patient depends on the information about proper care needed for recovery and therapy they receive after the injection. 

There are many potential benefits of an epidural for back pain.  The injection, if it is properly placed, delivers the medication directly, or very near the source of the pain.  The injection can also help control local inflammation while it flushes out inflammatory proteins and chemicals from the local area that may be contributing to the person’s intense pain.  A steroid, or cortisone agent is injected as an anti-inflammatory.  By reducing the lower back inflammation, pain is also going to be decreased.  The most common used steroids for this are Dexamethasone, Triamcinolone Acetonide, and Methylprednisolone Acetate.  Lidocaine, or Bupivacaine are the pain relievers most commonly used in epidurals for back pain.  They also serve as the agents used to flush out chemical or immunologic agents that cause inflammation. 

The epidural for back pain procedure has to take place in a hospital, physician’s clinic, or surgery center.  The injections procedure usually takes around 30 minutes.  You will be asked to lay on a flat table, and the area where the injection is to be inserted will be cleaned and sterilized.  The needle will be inserted into the skin and directed toward the epidural space.  Once the needle is in the proper position, the steroid solution will be injected.  The solution is injected very slowly, and the patient will usually feel a small amount of pressure as the solution goes in.  After the injection the patient needs to be monitored for about 30 minutes to ensure there are no adverse side effects from the steroid.  Some tenderness may be experienced at the injection site.  An ice pack will help relieve the soreness. 

The success of the injection is different for each patient. Typically patients will experience relief for several weeks, even up to a year.  Some patients may require additional injections over the course of a one year period, others may never need another injection.

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