Back pain can sideline you for weeks, months, or years. Depending on what’s causing your pain, you may be able to treat it with an epidural steroid injection.
Our team of doctors at Spinal Diagnostics specializes in identifying the source of your back pain and helping you manage or eliminate it. For patients in Portland, Tualatin, and Newberg, Oregon, we employ a variety of pain management techniques, including our most effective — an epidural steroid injection.
Epidural steroid injection explained
Although it may sound like a technologically advanced procedure, epidural steroid injections have been around since the 1950s and have remained popular because of their impressive success rate. This is a great option if you’re looking for a nonsurgical, minimally invasive way to treat your low back pain or sciatica.
What’s the process?
If we determine that an epidural steroid injection is right for you, one of our doctors expertly inserts the steroid (typically cortisone) into the affected space in your spine, also known as the epidural space. Because he delivers the steroid directly to the site of pain, it works more efficiently than any oral medication.
One of our doctors may also add a local anesthetic to the injection to bring you immediate relief, but the main impact comes from the anti-inflammatory properties of the steroid. Once the inflammation subsides, you can look forward to moving around pain-free.
How long does the epidural steroid injection last?
The effects of an epidural steroid injection vary widely in duration. Patients report benefits that last anywhere from one week to one year.
Whatever window of time your epidural steroid injection gives you, it is a precious opportunity to strengthen the muscles in the area and engage in physical therapy so that you can keep you the pain at bay.
Epidural steroid injections treat several conditions
While epidural steroid injections may be able to relieve pain in your neck and mid-back, it is most commonly used to treat lower back problems, such as:
Sciatica
Sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve that runs from your lower back, down your leg, and all the way to your feet, is pinched, compressed, or inflamed. Epidural steroid injections are often used to alleviate the radiating pain you feel in your legs and buttocks, called sciatica.
