One of the most common complaints people have when they visit their doctors is back pain. Sometimes back pain is caused by overused or strained muscles, but it can also be caused by pressure on the spinal nerve or a herniated disc. To help reduce inflammation and relieve pain, some patients with severe back pain may be given epidural injections.
How Injections Work
Orthopedic doctors in Panama City, FL may recommend epidural injections to treat back pain. The injections deliver steroids to the epidural space, which is in the spine. This space surrounds the dural sac, which in turn encircles the spinal cord, nerve roots, and cerebrospinal fluid, in which the nerve roots soak.
The injection has three components:
• A steroid, which is usually cortisone, to reduce inflammation.
• Lidocaine, which is a fact-acting anesthetic, to provide pain relief.
• Saline, which either dilutes the anesthetic or is used as a flushing agent to dilute the chemicals that cause inflammation.
Side Effects of Injection
There are risks to having epidural injections, such as bleeding, a wet tap, nerve damage, and infections. However, as orthopedic doctors will inform you, these risks are rare. What isn’t as rare are the side effects people can experience from the injections.
Some of the side effects of epidural injections include the following:
• Increases in localized pain
• Anxiety
• Sleeplessness
• Fever the night of the injection
• Higher blood sugar readings
• Stomach ulcers
• Cataracts
Although many side effects usually resolve themselves within the first 24 hours, if they don’t, you will need to contact your doctor at Panhandle Orthopaedics.
Before you’re given epidural injections, orthopedic doctors may try other ways to reduce pain and inflammation, such as oral steroids or anti-inflammatories. The injections can be effective for many people and help them regain some mobility and live their lives as normally as possible.
