Back and neck pain that isn’t improving using conservative approaches could respond to epidural steroid injections. Dr. Barry F. Faust, Jr. is an expert in performing these image-guided injections. At his practice, Faust Interventional Pain in Metairie, Louisiana, Dr. Faust uses epidural steroid injections to treat a wide variety of stubborn pain conditions, including spinal stenosis and disc problems. To find out how he can help you, schedule a consultation with Dr. Faust using the online form, or call his office today to book an appointment. Dr. Faust is proud to provide care to patients throughout New Orleans, Slidell, Metairie, and the surrounding areas.
(504) 350-8700
Faust Interventional Pain
Barry F. Faust Jr., MD
Interventional Pain Medicine located in Metairie, LA
Epidural Steroid Injection Q & A
What are epidural steroid injections?
While physical therapy and medication offer successful outcomes for many patients, spinal pain can sometimes persist. Epidural steroid injections are one of the most effective ways of tackling chronic back or neck pain that isn’t improving with initial treatment methods.
An epidural steroid injection contains a powerful drug, the steroid, which is a potent anti-inflammatory. As inflammation increases pain, reducing it can relieve your symptoms. Typically, an epidural steroid injection also has a local anesthetic, which numbs the pain completely for a short while.
The anesthetic’s effects don’t last long, but as well as giving you a few hours pain-free, it can also stop the pain from returning at such severe levels. This is known as breaking the pain cycle and can be an important part of successful epidural steroid injection therapy.
Dr. Faust might use an interlaminar, transforaminal, or caudal epidural steroid injection, depending on the source of your pain.
What conditions are epidural steroid injections used to treat?
Dr. Faust uses epidural steroid injections to help patients with various types of spinal pain in the neck (cervical spine), upper back (thoracic spine), and lower back (lumbar spine). Some of the conditions that could benefit from epidural steroid injections include:
- Herniated discs
- Spinal stenosis
- Osteoarthritis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Sciatica
Epidural steroid injections offer symptom relief for numerous causes of back pain, but they’re often most effective in treating nerve compression (radiculopathy). This occurs when a damaged disc, bone spur, thickened ligament, or other misaligned tissue or bone presses on or damages a nerve coming off your spinal cord.
Sciatica, for instance, is a form of lumbar radiculopathy that causes a sharp, shooting pain down one leg. In addition to pain, most nerve-related spinal conditions cause problems like tingling, numbness, and weakness in your arms (if you damage a nerve in your cervical spine) or hips, buttocks, and legs (if you damage a nerve in your lumbar spine).
How soon will I feel the benefits of an epidural steroid injection?
The local anesthetic in your epidural steroid injection should have an immediate pain-relieving effect. As it wears off, you might experience some return of pain, but this is often less severe than before your treatment.
Meanwhile, the steroid medication lowers inflammation in your spine, which reduces your pain for several months and often longer.
To find out how you could benefit from epidural steroid injections for your neck and back pain, call Faust Interventional Pain today, or book an appointment online.