If you have chronic pain in the neck, the spinal cord, or the legs, your doctor will advise you on the methods of pain management. One of the standard pain management practices for these types of pains includes epidural injections in the affected area. Clinical studies on epidural injections show that the injections help a patient deal with pain, reduce inflammation, and enables one to go back to normal activities. If chronic pain has reduced your quality of life, it could help if you seek an expert in epidural steroid injection in McAllen.
What Is A Steroid Epidural Injection?
Steroid injections include the use of corticosteroids and anesthesia that gives a numbing effect in the painful area. The injection is administered directly to the epidural sac in the spinal cord and can help deal with pain in the spinal region, the neck, and the legs. The epidural sac in the back is located between the protective dural sac, the spinal nerves, and the bony vertebra. The injection helps calm down the nerves, and it reduces inflammation in the affected area. The injection only helps reduce the pain by flushing away the proteins, which cause pain and swelling. Unfortunately, it does not reduce the herniated discs. The epidural injection could deal with pain for a few months or even years. In this time, a patient can recover by incorporating physical therapy and exercise programs that improve their conditions.
Who Can Have An Epidural Injection?
If you have neck, back, and leg pain that does not go away with conventional methods of pain management, an epidural would help improve your condition. Your doctor is likely to recommend epidural injection if you have the following conditions:
- Herniated discs
Herniated discs cause rapture of the soft tissues within the disc, which could seep into the spinal area and cause discomfort. Steroid epidural could help reduce the pain and discomfort caused by herniated discs, but unfortunately, it does not reduce the size of the discs.
- Spinal stenosis
If your spinal cord has stenosis, it narrows at the spinal canal and the nerve root canal. The narrowing of these parts of the spinal cord could cause back and neck and leg pain when moving, which could reduce your life quality.
- Sciatica
Sciatica pain occurs along the sciatic nerve in the legs and buttocks and is caused by the compression of the first spinal nerve or the fifth lumbar bone. An epidural injection can reduce inflammation caused by sciatic pain.
- Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis is a weakness at the upper and lower facets of a vertebra, which could cause forward slipping of the vertebra and compress the nerve roots, thus causing pain. A doctor would recommend epidural steroid injections to deal with spondylolisthesis.
The Bottom Line
If you have chronic pain in the neck, back, or the legs that do not go away with traditional medicine, you should consider trying steroid epidural injections. The injection is administered at the spinal sac directly near the area with pain and is effective in reducing the pain by flushing the proteins that cause inflammation. The injection is an excellent way of dealing with pain while taking other steps such as therapy to deal with underlying issues.