Questions and Answers on Epidurals
- What is an Epidural Steroid Injection? Epidural Steroid Injection is an injection of long lasting steroid ("cortisone") in the Epidural space – that is the area which surrounds the spinal cord and the nerves coming out of it. What is the purpose of it? The steroid injected reduces the inflammation and/or swelling of nerves in the Epidural space. This may in turn reduce pain, tingling & numbness and other symptoms caused by nerve inflammation / irritation or swelling.
- How long does the injection take? The actual injection takes only a few minutes.
- What is actually injected? The injection consists of a mixture saline and the steroid medication such as Celestone-.
- Will the injection hurt? Dr. Rosen numb the skin and deeper tissues with a local anesthetic using a very tiny thin needle. Most patients will get a caudal epidural. Dr. Rosen has his own technique for that approach which also using a very tiny needle. The steroid starts working in about 1-3 days and its effect can last for several days to a few months or longer.
- How many injections do I need to have? If the first injection does not completely relieve your symptoms in about a week to two weeks, you may be recommended to have one more injection. Similarly If the second injection does not relieve completely your symptoms in about a week to two weeks, you may be recommended to have a third injection.
- Will the Epidural Steroid Injection help me? It is very difficult to predict if the injection will indeed help you or not. Generally speaking, the patients who have "radicular symptoms" (like sciatica) respond better to the injections than the patients who have only back pain. Similarly, the patients with a recent onset of pain may respond much better than the ones with a long standing pain. Also, the patients with back pain mainly due to bony abnormality may not respond adequately.