Epidural Steroid Injections

What are epidural steroid injections?

Epidural steroid injections (ESIs) provide near-instant relief for certain types of chronic pain. 

During treatment, your Englewood Cliffs Surgery Center provider injects a steroid into your epidural space –– an area of tissue that protects your spinal nerve roots, arteries, and veins. 

The steroid reduces inflammation, alleviating pain for weeks or even months.

What types of pain can epidural steroid injections treat?

Englewood Cliffs Surgery Center uses epidural injections to treat pain in various parts of the spine, including the cervical (neck), thoracic (upper and middle back), and lumbar (lower back) spine. You might benefit from this treatment if you suffer from pain caused by:

• Scoliosis
• Spinal stenosis
• Herniated or bulging intervertebral discs
• Bone spurs
• Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS)
• Spondylosis (spine degeneration)

Sometimes, the providers use epidural steroid injections to treat injuries to spinal nerves, vertebrae, and the surrounding tissues.

Are there different types of epidural steroid injections?

Englewood Cliffs Surgery Center offers several types of ESI, including:

Cervical ESI

You might benefit from this treatment if you have neck pain that extends into your shoulders or arms due to a herniated disc, bone spur, or spinal stenosis. Your provider administers a cervical ESI into the side of your neck. 

Thoracic ESI

This ESI treats middle back pain caused by herniated discs and spinal stenosis. Your provider administers the injection into the side of your spine in your middle or upper back.

Lumbar ESI

This ESI alleviates lower back, buttocks, or leg pain. It’s administered into the side of your spine in your lower back.

What do epidural steroid injections involve?

Getting an epidural steroid injection is a quick outpatient procedure.

On the day of your appointment, you change into a gown and lie facedown on an exam table. Your provider cleans and sterilizes the area of your back or neck for the injection and administers a local anesthetic, numbing the treatment area. 

After the anesthetic sets in, your provider uses X-ray imaging to guide a needle with pain medication and a steroid into the epidural space in your spine. Once the needle is in position, they inject the medication, reducing inflammation and relieving pain. 

Call Englewood Cliffs Surgery Center today to schedule an epidural steroid injection appointment.