Epidural steroid injection can help alleviate pain originating from the neck or back.  At times, this can manifest in leg pain, or “sciatica.”  The source of the pain may be a herniated disc, arthritis in the joints, or other spinal issues.

The procedure is performed at our Royal Oak, Troy, and Rochester offices as an outpatient procedure. On the day of the procedure you will go through a routine registration process then taken back to a clinic room where the medical assistant will go though the routine history.  Then, the treating physician will go through the details of the procedure and go over any questions.  Only after all your questions have been answered, will be begin the procedure.

For the procedure, you will be escorted into the fluoroscopy suite and positioned laying on your stomach.  We will provide pillows and adjust your position to help make you more comfortable.  Next, the physician will clean the area in a sterile fashion.  We will anesthetize the skin and position the fluoroscopy machine.  Then, the physician will gently place the needle to the target area using the fluoroscopy to ensure proper placement.  After confirmation of the placement and safety measures, a longer acting steroid will be injected.  The purpose of the steroid is to decrease the inflammatory process causing your pain. The procedure takes five to ten minutes but you may be observed for approximately 20 to 30 minutes after the procedure.

The duration of pain relief from the local anesthetic can vary from one to two hours to many hours. The steroid injected may take a day to being effect but the peak effect may only occur in a few days. The duration and extent of pain relief varies between patients. Following the procedure, you may experience temporary dizziness, weakness in the legs, and associated numbness lasting one to three hours. Therefore, it is encouraged to bring a driver with you. Furthermore, discomfort may occur at the injection site lasting two to three days which should then dissipate.

The epidural steroid injections can be a single instance procedure but also may require some repeat procedures. The time interval varies depending on individual response. Your LMT physician will help guide you in the treatment process.

Since the previously described symptoms may occur following this injection, we may recommend that you take off from work the day of the procedure and take relative rest. You may resume work and normal activities the next day.