Epidural Injection
Back and leg pain can come from many different sources. Among these sources are herniated disks or degenerated disks that can irritate nerve roots causing them to become inflamed and producing pain. While in some cases surgery is required for relief of this pain, sometimes an epidural injection is all that is needed.
Epidural injections are performed to reduce inflammation around the nerve roots allowing nature to heal the problem and make the pain go away. Some patients experience relief that is short lived (days to weeks) while in others relief can be longer term (months to years) or permanent. Some patients have no relief at all. Sometimes one injection is all that is needed while in many cases, multiple injections over time are required to attempt to bring relief of pain.
Your doctor will provide details of the procedure that is right for you as well as the benefits and risks. He will also provide instructions for your care before and after the procedure.
Posted on Mon, October 13, 2014
by Greg Neundorfer