There Are 3 Types of Epidurals: Which One is Right for You?

Whether you suffer from pain related to a chronic condition like arthritis or a sudden sports injury or fall, sometimes conservative treatments like pain relievers and hot and cold packs simply don’t provide the relief you need. 

The Advanced Spine and Pain team specializes in both immediate pain relief and long-term pain management. Dr. Randy Davis, Dr. Brain Lee, Dr. Thomas Raley, and Dr. Alfred Correa value innovative treatments and are constantly on the lookout for proven, safe treatments that pick up where traditional ones leave off. 

One that we rely on consistently is epidural steroid injections, which we deliver directly to your area of pain. 

Our patients know that we never settle for anything but the most effective, personalized treatment route, and we work until we find the pain solutions that are right for you. 

What’s great about epidural steroid injections

If you’re at the point where you need an epidural steroid injection, you’ve likely tried other treatments to ease your pain, including medication or physical therapy. These injections work by delivering steroid anti-inflammatory medications along with local anesthetic to stressed nerves.

Epidural treatment is especially helpful for the types of pain that plague many people: a variety of back problems, from sciatica (which causes lower back pain) and degenerative disc disease pain to spinal stenosis, herniated discs, and radiculitis. It’s also effective at relieving neck pain, and even leg pain. 

In addition to the much-needed pain relief you feel quickly after the shot, epidural steroid injections can help you avoid surgery.

Types of epidural steroid injections and who they help 

The three most frequently used types of epidural treatments treat pain in different locations of the body:

1. Transforaminal epidural steroid injection

This epidural steroid injection is administered by inserting the needle between your spine and spinal cord, or the vicinity of where your spinal nerve exits your spine. When a nerve root in this area becomes inflamed and irritated, you feel pain that starts in your back and extends down the leg.

The transforaminal injection is particularly helpful in treating sciatica and a host of other back problems. 

2. Caudal epidural steroid injection 

We give you this shot if your pain is focused at the base of your spine. We insert the needle below the lumbar spine, or the lower back. These injections can help with back problems such as herniated discs and leg pain from sciatica.

3. Interlaminar epidural steroid injection 

These shots can be given anywhere on the spine and are particularly effective when treating back, leg, neck, and arm pain. 

After thoroughly evaluating your medical history and chronicling your pain, we recommend the type of epidural steroid shot he thinks matches your needs best. If the thought of an epidural steroid injection of any sort makes you uncomfortable because you simply don’t like needles, rest assured the process is brief and painless. 

When you come to Advanced Spine and Pain for an epidural steroid shot, we make you as comfortable as possible. First, we give you a local anesthetic at your injection site so you feel nothing during the procedure. Getting the injection takes only 10-15 minutes on average, but if your condition and pain are more severe, you may get more than one. 

After your injection, we observe you for about half-an-hour to ensure that you don’t have any reaction, and then you’re on your way. If you have any tenderness, an ice pack does the trick. 

It’s also important to know that it’s normal to experience a bit more pain directly after getting the injection and a few days afterwards. You also might feel immediate relief, though improvement often continues for the next two to four days. Best of all, the relief your injection provides keeps you pain-free for a number of months. 

Epidural steroid injections can be used in concert with other pain-relief approaches, or they might be your primary treatment. Our patients’ feedback is consistently positive about epidural steroid injections, and most of the time, these shots are more than worth it, especially if other approaches have failed.

Call the Advanced Spine and Pain office that’s most convenient for you to schedule an epidural steroid injection consultation today, or reach out to us through our website.