Epidural Steroid Injection: A Comprehensive Guide by Pain Consultants of Atlanta
Numerous people in the vibrant city of Atlanta, Georgia are affected by chronic pain, which lowers their quality of life. Epidural steroid injections are a helpful resource provided by pain consultants of atlanta for people looking for long-lasting pain treatment. We will provide a thorough overview of epidural steroid injections in this blog post, illuminating how this minimally invasive surgery can provide people suffering from chronic pain with much-needed relief.
What Is an Injection of Epidural Steroids?
Licensed healthcare professionals can administer an epidural steroid injection or ESI for a short duration. It entails injecting a corticosteroid drug and occasionally a local anesthetic into the epidural region of the spine. This space surrounds the dura, which covers the spinal cord and the nerve roots.
Common Conditions Treated with Epidural Steroid Injections
- Herniated Discs: ESI can lessen the swelling surrounding a herniated disc, easing and causing pain.
- Spinal Stenosis: ESI can relieve pressure on the spinal cord and nerves in individuals with spinal stenosis, lower pain, and enhance movement.
- Radiculopathy: To treat symptoms such as shooting pain and numbness associated with this condition, which is frequently caused by nerve root compression, ESI is used.
- Sciatica: Patients with sciatica, which causes leg pain, may benefit from specialized epidural steroid injections.
The Epidural Steroid Injection Process
- Preparation: Patients may be requested to fast for a few hours and discontinue taking blood-thinning drugs before surgery.
- Patient positioning: To lower the risk of infection, patients were placed on their sides or stomachs.
- Injection: The medical professional gently places a needle into the epidural area and administers the drug under fluoroscopic guidance.
- Recovery: Following the injection, patients are briefly observed and released with detailed post-procedure care instructions.
- Effects: Although ESI’s effects of ESI can differ among patients, they frequently bring about relief within a few days to a week. Several shots can be taken to provide long-lasting comfort.
Epidural steroid injections provide a glimpse of hope for a future free from pain for those in Atlanta struggling with chronic pain. ESI has been demonstrated to be a successful treatment for various spinal diseases by focusing on the origin of pain and lowering inflammation. Consult with Pain Consultants of Atlanta if you are looking for a solution to your chronic pain to determine if epidural steroid injections are a good fit for you.