Epidural Steroid Injections Specialist Q&A

Epidural steroid injection (ESI) is primarily used to relieve any pain within the back, neck, and legs which is often caused by bulging discs, and inflamed spinal nerves. Epidural steroid injections deliver an anti-inflammatory medication known as steroids into the epidural space. It allows the medication to then target the spinal nerves, spine joints, and discs. In turn, reducing pain and inflammation for years, allowing our patients to regain a normal life where they are able to continue normal activities, and allow healing. Conditions that commonly benefit from epidural steroid injections include disc herniation, spondylolysis, degenerative disc disease, and spinal stenosis.

Once the epidural steroid injection procedure has been completed, you are able to return to the comfort of your home and resume your normal daily activities the next day. The steroids within the epidural steroid injection will begin to work within 1 to 3 days. Some patients may need up to a week to fully feel the benefits.
 
Many patients will often notice several months of improvement in pain and function from the epidural steroid injections. If the epidural steroid injections are effective, they can be repeated. However, if you have side effects, you need to contact your primary healthcare provider or visit urgent care.
 
If you do not have any pain relief methods, talk with your primary healthcare provider. It may be a sign that the pain is originally coming from somewhere other than where you originally thought, which is the spinal nerves.

Pain relief is most often achieved after your treatment with an epidural steroid injection to the back for back pain, not immediately, but usually within 2 to 4 days following the injection treatment. The relief time frame will vary from one patient to another, with many even noting that they found relief from epidural steroid injections by the following day. If you are wanting to achieve the longest and best pain relief from an epidural steroid injection treatment, you may need more than one treatment. Typically, they will be separated by one week, up to several weeks.
 
An epidural steroid injection does work best in combination with other treatments like physical therapy and home exercises. Often, your physician will provide you with a list of home exercises you can continue once your treatment has commenced helping. This combination will aim to strengthen the muscles of the back and prevent further injury to the back and recurrent or continued pain.
 
The results of an epidural steroid injection will last many years and can prevent you from having to undergo any invasive spinal surgery.

Cortisone injections and epidural steroid injections both offer the same powerful anti-inflammatory medication, including an anesthetic, like lidocaine, corticosteroid, and a saline solution. An epidural is a cortisone injection, but it is instead inserted into the lower back, and more specifically, into the epidural space within the spine.
 
The epidural injections are then used to help treat joint pain, which is often caused by arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, poor movement, etc. Most of these injections are used for the shoulders, hips, knees, elbows, and spine via epidural.
 
If you are dealing with pain in your legs, arms, neck, back, and sciatica, you may benefit from an epidural steroid injection. Epidural steroid injections help to treat pain from the following:
 
• Disc herniation
• Degenerative disc disease
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolysis
• Sciatica
 
Contact Modern Pain Management today to learn more about our epidural steroid injection procedures and how they may help you with your body pain. We are here to help relieve you from daily body pain, and help you to regain your natural life back. without the feeling of pain. We have convenient locations to serve you. For more information, please contact us or book an appointment online. We serve patients from Houston TX, Sugar Land TX, Pearland TX, Jersey Village TX, Missouri City TX, Stafford TX, and Richmond TX.