Everyone with lower back pain radiating to the legs yearns for quick relief, hoping to return to their everyday life. However, some conservative measures may fail to offer comfort, making a simple task as going to the bathroom the most strenuous. Thanks to Fredericksburg epidural steroid injection treatment, chronic lower back pains can now be managed. The noninvasive treatment will be your best option when other conservative remedies fail to offer relief and you are not considering a surgical procedure as an option. Though epidural injections effectively relieve lower back and leg pains, not everyone can get relief from the treatment. You are not suitable for the treatment if you have issues like uncontrolled diabetes and specific heart complications.

Why would your doctor recommend an epidural steroid injection?

Your doctor will most likely recommend the treatment after noninvasive options like therapy fail to relieve you from your debilitating symptoms before considering a surgical procedure. The goal of the injection is to offer you sufficient pain relief, allowing you to resume your everyday life. The healthcare provider will most likely use the injections to:

• Minimize pain and control its effects by reducing inflammation around and in your nerve roots
• Enhance function and mobility of your legs and lower back
• Give you a chance to participate in a comprehensive rehabilitation program that helps strengthen your weak muscles

What are the benefits of using epidural steroid injections?

• Limits your dependence on oral pain medications. The injections will prevent you from popping pain-relieving medications that might result in dependency. Some medications may have long-term effects, which might make withdrawal fatal.
• Minimize nerve pain. Steroids lower the sensitivity of your nerve fibers towards pain and minimize the production of inflammatory chemicals. As a result, you will have reduced pain signals.
• Continue physical therapy. The steroid injections will allow you to progress with your rehabilitative therapy program.
• Postpone surgery. Steroid injections offer effective relief, halting any plans of going for a surgical procedure. Additionally, you might as well cancel the need for an invasive procedure if the pain relief is long-term.

What are the epidural injection approaches you are likely to have?

There are three standard techniques your doctor is likely to choose from, transforaminal, interlaminar, and caudal routes. The approach your healthcare professional will use depends on your diagnosis results from previous treatments, skill and experience, and the use of fluoroscopy. Your physician may administer an epidural injection using any of the following approaches:

Transforaminal route– the injection targets particular nerve roots to control pain and minimize inflammation. The transforaminal route technique allows for precision during the administration of the medication contents into your epidural space.

Interlaminar route– unlike the transforaminal approach, the interlaminar technique is less precise. Since your physician does not administer the medication close to your affected nerve root, the solution spreads anywhere within your epidural space.

Caudal route– the technique is a general approach, making it easy to administer. However, the medication might not reach your pain source in your epidural space or nerve roots. Though the treatment might be less effective, it is easier and safer to perform. One primary benefit of the approach is, it is effective in controlling diffused pain.

Before you opt for an epidural steroid injection, you must consult with your doctor to ensure you are a suitable candidate.

Pratiksha