When to Choose Epidural Steroid Injections for Chronic Neck or Back Pain

Epidural steroid injections (ESIs) are common treatments to alleviate chronic neck pain and back pain, resulting in temporary pain relief for around half of the people who get them. The duration of pain relief from ESIs is relatively unpredictable because everyone metabolizes medication differently, but it’s possible to experience relief for weeks, months, or even years. 

Pain medicine specialists Haddis T. Hagos, MD, and Brent Earls, MD, routinely perform epidural steroid injections for people experiencing chronic and persistent neck or back pain due to nerve compression in the spine. At Pain Management Associates LLC in Greenbelt, Maryland, they create personalized care plans using state-of-the-art therapies for neck and back pain that don’t improve with home care. 

ESIs aren’t the best choice for every neck or back pain case, but our experts are ready to help you discover your most effective course of treatment.

Understanding epidural steroid injections

An ESI at Pain Management Associates LLC contains two medications: a local anesthetic and a corticosteroid. The local anesthetic acts on nerves immediately for a numbing effect while the corticosteroid reduces swelling in the region, thus taking pressure off compressed nerves. 

Our team guides the injection into the epidural space around your spinal cord. The epidural space acts as a cushioning layer between your spinal cord and vertebrae (the bones in your spine). The space contains many nerve roots branching out of the spinal cord, some of which may be inflamed causing your back or neck pain. 

Conditions treated with epidural steroid injections

ESIs can treat many conditions that cause neck or back pain, which often causes referred pain or numbness in your arms or legs depending on the origin nerve root. These injections typically work well for pain from spinal nerve root inflammation or compression. This type of pain is most common in the cervical spine (neck) or lumbar spine (lower back). 

Our team might recommend ESIs to treat pain and other symptoms from:

• Herniated discs
• Bone spurs
• Facet joint arthritis
• Degenerative disc disease
• Scoliosis causing nerve root inflammation
• Spondylolysis (degeneration of the spine) 

Our team carefully plans your ESIs based on the location of the compressed or inflamed nerve roots. 

When to consider epidural steroid injections

Epidural steroid injections aren’t typically a first-line treatment for chronic neck or back pain. Our team at Pain Management Associates LLC usually recommends them after treating you with physical therapy, medications, and other less invasive therapies if these therapies don’t improve your pain. 

We tailor our treatment plans based on your overall health, lifestyle, the cause of your pain, and other relevant details. Our team can tell you if epidural steroid injections align with your needs, or we may guide you toward other more suitable treatments. If epidural steroid injections work well for you, they may help you avoid needing surgery for your condition. 

Get in touch for more information

Our experts are ready to evaluate your chronic neck or back pain and determine the most effective therapeutic approach. Call Pain Management Associates LLC or request an appointment online today.