Epidural Steroid Injections
What are Epidural Steroid Injections?
When your arm, neck, back, or leg pain is caused by inflamed spinal nerves, there is one team in the DFW Metroplex to help get you the relief you need quickly and effectively. Living with these pains can really weigh you down and prevent you from doing the things you love. We can offer epidural steroid injections to prevent pain from thoroughly disrupting your life. These injections get delivered to the epidural space in your spine, which is between the protective sac of spinal nerves and the bone. Treatments will vary as every patient experiences pain in different ways. Some have only needed a couple shots, while others rely on them to get through the week. We have even had some patients report pain relief for several years thanks to epidural steroid injections.
Do you miss running through the park? Are you having issues bringing holiday decorations down from the attic? Then consider reaching out to the medical professionals at Pain & Spine Physicians. Call us today to schedule your initial consultation, and we will help decide if epidural steroid injections are right for you when trying to alleviate the pain in your arms, legs, back, and neck. Whether you have acute or chronic pain, our board-certified doctors are dedicated to developing comprehensive pain management treatments for you!
Are You a Good Candidate for Epidural Steroid Injections?
When considering epidural steroid injections, there are a few things to consider before we decide if you are a good candidate or not. Many inflammatory related pain disorders can be helped with these injections, but there are also other times steroids won’t be very helpful with relieving pain, including instances where the patient is going through an infection or significant bleeding problems. Also, if you have diabetes these shots can raise your blood sugar levels and if you have glaucoma you may experience pressure in your eyes. Make sure you discuss your full health history with your doctor in the consultation. The Pain & Spine Physicians will suggest this treatment for patients with the following conditions:
- Degenerative Disc
- Herniated Disc
- Sciatica
- Spinal Stenosis
- Spondylolisthesis
- Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
Many Types of Epidural Steroid Injections
There are different types of epidural steroid injections (ESI) we can provide to help get you the relief you have been searching for throughout the DFW Metroplex area. All options require the use of contrast dye to help guide the physician when performing the injection. This method helps us ensure we can reach the affected area and help reduce the swelling. The Pain & Spine Physicians will help you find the correct one during your consultation, but here are some of the options we offer below:
Cervical (Neck) ESI
The injection goes in above the nerve root opening and right outside the epidural space. We go in through the affected side of your neck to give you relief from the pain. We help rid you of pain in the neck and arm with this option.
Lumbar (Lower Back) ESI
The injection site for this option goes to either side of the spinal cord into the nerve canal. It goes straight for the affected nerve root to help reduce the inflammation in the epidural space. When you are experiencing leg or lower back pain we suggest this treatment to help.
Caudal (Tailbone) ESI
This option is for even lower leg and back issues, we inject the medicine into the sacral hiatus directly above the tailbone. We can go in on either side of the tailbone depending on which side is impacted by the pain.
How Many Injections Can Pain & Spine Physicians Deliver?
If you already have poor bone health (osteopenia), overuse the steroids used in these injections may increase your chance of weakening the bones in your spine and surrounding muscles. This possible side effect is why even though each patient is treated individually, some patients have a threshold to the amount we will give you per year when attempting to manage your pain derived in these areas. Spacing these injections out over a span of time helps your body maintain its natural hormone balance. Also, there are non-steroid injectable medications we can use to give similar results. In your consultation we will also go over other risks and benefits to receiving this treatment, and if it’s not right for you then we will work together to go over the many other options we have available.
Call Pain & Spine Physicians for Less Pain in Your Life
Epidural steroid injections can be used to help relieve many different forms of pain, but they are not the only option. There are many pros and cons with these injections and we are happy to discuss them further when in your initial consultation. Call today to get your appointment scheduled and we will team up to take down your pain issues. We have five location spread over the entire DFW Metroplex. With medical pain professionals in Dallas, McKinney, Frisco, Southlake, and Flower Mound, TX, the Pain & Spine Physicians are always close by to deliver options for a pain-free life.