Steroids are a certain form of a chemical found naturally in your body. Medically used steroids are potent anti-inflammatory agents. They are useful in the treatment of patients with radiculopathy caused by local inflammation due to a disc injury, degenerative changes, and other causes.

Most adverse effects are associated with long-term use of steroids.

When steroids are used locally with injections, the associated risks are substantially less. Side effects can include indigestion, increased appetite, trouble sleeping, and occasionally headache. Tylenol can help with headaches after a steroid injection or dosing.

Epidural steroid injections offer a variety of benefits for your health and comfort, including:

• Reduced inflammation around the nerves
• Alleviation of chronic pain
• Results are more effective and longer-lasting than other pain management options
• Can help reduce the need for painkillers
• Improved mobility
• Customized treatment options
• Minimally invasive approach offers more comfort and reduced recovery time compared to more intensive treatments
• Decreasing the potential of needing surgery
• Can be used in conjunction with physical therapy as part of a recovery plan

There are several conditions that can cause severe pain in an area of the spine, including spinal stenosis, spondylolysis, a herniated disc, a degenerative disc, sciatica, or as a result of trauma or injury. Any of these could mean that you are a good candidate for an epidural steroid injection at Southwest Spine & Sports. However, it is important to keep in mind that an epidural steroid injection is not a cure for any condition, but is rather a means for managing your pain so you can resume your normal activities and perform rehabilitation exercises. Those who are most likely to benefit from the treatment are patients who have attempted conservative treatments for their chronic pain to no avail. During your consultation at our Scottsdale, AZ office, an experienced member of our team can talk with you about the benefits of an epidural steroid injection and how it may be able to provide effective pain relief.

You will typically be in the surgery center for approximately two hours. You will arrive one hour before the procedure. The actual procedure time is usually fifteen minutes. The remainder of the time will be spent in the recovery room.

The procedure does involve an injection — so you may feel some discomfort. Local anesthetic is used, and intravenous medication may be given to make you as comfortable as possible. You may feel some warmth as the fluid is injected. You may also experience some of your typical pain. The doctor will be interested in how this compares to your usual symptoms.

You may experience numbness and/or relief from your typical pain for up to six hours after the injection. This is due to the long-acting anesthetic injected. Your usual symptoms may then return and may be worse than usual for a day or two. The beneficial effects of the steroid injection usually begin in 2 – 3 days or may take as long as a week.

It is hard to determine exactly. If an initial injection provided a certain amount of pain relief, a second injection may provide additional benefit. If your pain subsides completely and does return at some point, additional injections may be an option.

• Caudal epidural injection: Caudal is the Latin word signifying the tail or tail end of the spine. Thus, a caudal injection is a location where the epidural steroid is placed. The spinal needle is introduced through a portion of the sacrum. A small bony opening, called the sacral hiatus, is entered with the spinal needle under x-ray guidance. This technique is often preferred in patients who have had previous surgeries causing scar formation that would interfere with injection at other locations. It is also sometimes the preferred place of injection for patients with spinal stenosis. This is a relatively safe, easy procedure to perform and can provide significant anatomical coverage of the injected medications. It is not one of the more specific, localizable procedures.
• Transforaminal epidural injection: A transforaminal epidural steroid injection (selective nerve root block) is a procedure performed for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes for neck/back pain and limb pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness. In this procedure, a needle is directed under fluoroscopic (x-ray) guidance through the foramen or opening where the spinal nerve exits at the level where the disc and nerve injury has occurred. The medication – anesthetic and steroid – is delivered specifically between the disc and nerve interface and along the course of the nerve which is causing the majority of the symptoms.
• Interlaminar (translaminar) injection:  An interlaminar epidural steroid injection is an approach in which a needle is advanced to a site-specific to the injury. The level of injury is viewed under fluoroscopy, and the needle is advanced between two vertebrae to a depth that puts it in the epidural space. Please see the anatomy pictures for full details. The epidural space is a space overlying the spinal cord. As the needle advances, it goes past the bony shelves of the back portion of the vertebrae and stops before entering the spinal cord or spinal space. The injected material is placed over this region to then bathe the areas of interest.

Generally speaking, this procedure is very safe. However, as with any procedure, there are risks, side effects, and the possibility of complications. The most common side effect is pain, which is temporary.

There is also occasional bruising. There is a slight possibility of infection, either at the site of injection or in the deeper tissue. This could require the use of antibiotics, either by mouth or intravenously. Additionally, if the infection were severe, it could require hospitalization and further surgery.

In these procedures, it is possible to get close to a nerve root, and this would cause a slight increase in pain with possible radiation into the limb. It is very unlikely, but there could be permanent nerve damage.

Very rare complications may include bone injury from repetitive steroid intake, reaction to the injectant (anesthetic or steroid material) causing respiratory or cardiac compromise, as well as seizures. Death is even a possibility, as with any invasive procedure, although this possibility is exceedingly rare.

Steroid medications have rarely been associated with hip or arm (bone) damage, and this has usually been with high doses or prolonged use. This remains a rare complication.

In most cases, you can return home immediately after an epidural steroid injection administered at Southwest Spine & Sports, but you should have someone drive you. There may be some discomfort after the injection, and you can use a cold or ice pack to relieve this pain. Patients typically can return to work or their regular routines the next day, but you will likely want to refrain from engaging in strenuous activities. The injection may take anywhere from 1 – 7 days to fully take effect. From there, it is usual to experience a few months of pain relief. If you have any further questions about what you can do in the days following anti-inflammatory injections at our Scottsdale, AZ facility, please discuss them with your practitioner during your appointment.

Caudal Epidural Steroid Injection

Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection

RACZ Caudal Neurolysis

Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection