Your spinal cord supports your body, thus facilitating movement and other activities. However, your spinal cord can be infected by diseases causing damage to the surrounding tissues and nerves. Additionally, your spinal cord has spaces called epidural space that surround the spinal cord and the nerve root. When the epidural space is infected, you are likely to suffer from lower back pain and sciatica. These spinal conditions can be treated and managed through spinal epidural injection. Book an appointment with a Houston epidural specialist for the treatment of spinal complications. Below are the benefits of epidural.
What are the benefits of undergoing an epidural pain-controlling injection?
Benefits of epidural injection are seen when you have acute leg or back pain. However, injections can also help when the pain is severe. According to research, injectable medicines are much more effective than oral and surface applications. This means that epidural steroid injection prevents lower back pain for one year. To have the maximum sciatic nerve and lower back pain treatment, you require an injection three times a year. Benefits of the injection include;
- Postpone surgery. During the treatment of spinal cord complications, your doctor considers surgery as the last option. Since the primary symptom of a spinal condition is pain, your doctor tries hard to manage it. Since epidural injection kills that pain completely, your chances of having surgery are reduced.
- Manages nerve inflammation and pain. Lower back pain is brought by pinched nerves or tissues. However, since nerves are not adaptive to compression and stress, they can become inflamed. Epidural injections reduce nerve inflammation, thus preventing unnecessary pain.
- Keeps off oral medication. Many people across the world do not like taking medicine. Medication to treat the spinal condition can be complex and require large amounts. To avoid taking pain relief medicine, your doctor can prefer a steroid injection.
How is epidural steroid injection performed?
There are several steps followed during the epidural injection. The steps should be followed correctly to avoid complications such as spinal infections or even paralysis. They include;
1. Examination. Your doctor will perform an examination checking some factors that can hinder the injection.
2. Skin marking. Around the area of injection, your skin is marked and cleaned with betadine.
3. X-ray. An x-ray is performed to locate the correct vertebral level where the needle will enter. The vertebral is seen on a computer monitor.
4. Local anesthesia. The anesthetic medication is injected to numb the area of treatment.
5. Epidural steroid injection. After numbing is done and you are relaxed, a needle is inserted through the area of injection, and the epidural medicine is guided inside using fluoroscopy.
6. Dye injection. A contrast dye is injected to check the spread of epidural steroid medicine.
Sciatica and lower back pain affect many people across the world. People continue to suffer from spinal complications due to the lack of proper treatment. If you are suffering from lower back pain and sciatica, visit Houston Pain Specialists for an epidural steroid injection.