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Midtown Manhattan
36 W 44th St Ste 1416 New York, NY 10036
Pain after a lumbar epidural steroid injection and cortisone shot procedures is rare, and most people say it’s worth the temporary discomfort. Typically, a cortisone shot lumbar epidural is recommended if you live with chronic lower back pain. Lumbar epidural steroid cortisone injection recovery usually takes less than a day. It’s most effective when coupled with other treatments such as targeted exercises. Make an appointment in our sports injury clinic to get your back pain evaluation and relief. Dr. Melepura is among the best-rated pain management specialist in NY.
A lumbar epidural injection is a common tool to treat lumbar epidural pain. Since 1952, steroidal medication injection has successfully treated lower back pain and sciatica symptoms.
Today, your sports medicine team at Pain and Sports Institute of NY relies on this proven technique to manage the pain you may have in your lower back. Following your lumbar epidural steroid cortisone shot injection recovery, you may not need more treatments since the pain relief gives your body sufficient time to heal. However, your physician often uses the lumbar epidural injection in concert with other treatments.
Since the pain associated with a lumbar epidural injection shot is so minor and passes within a couple of hours, it’s an ideal modality to relieve chronic and acute pain. With this effective pain treatment, you can better tolerate other remedies and rehabilitation plans your doctor recommends.
Long-term solutions for your lower back pain may include:
Dr. Melepura was extremely knowledgeable and helpful throughout the entire lumbar epidural process. No pain, and a calming and clean environment. 5 stars.
JP DuranThe dura mater is the soft tissue surrounding your spinal cord, and the phrase is the root of the word “epidural”, which is a nerve block injection designed to stop the pain you’re feeling in your lower body. In addition to a lumbar epidural, you might receive a cervical epidural to target neck pain or a thoracic epidural targeting moderate back pain. While there are many reasons you may need a lumbar epidural cortisone injection shot, the most common ones seen by your doctor include:
The lumbar epidural cortisone shot process takes between 15 and 30 minutes in the office of your Midtown pain management doctor. You begin by lying face down on an x-ray table so your physician can rely on fluoroscopy to deliver live pictures of your spine as he inserts the needle. Fluoroscopy helps your doctor direct the steroidal medication to the exact location of your pain; it reduces the need for an extended lumbar epidural steroid recovery precisely because it is so exacting.
Under the guidance of an experienced pain and sports medicine doctor, side effects from an epidural cortisone shot are minimized. But as with any procedure, they can happen. Some risks associated with the lumbar epidural cortisone shot include:
You can usually return to your normal activities the day after the procedure. You may have some pain after a lumbar epidural cortisone steroid injection procedure that lasts longer than a day, but that’s also temporary. Your Manhattan pain management doctor may provide you with a prescription pain reliever to get you through the first couple of days.
More than 50 percent of patients who receive a lumbar epidural cortisone pain management injection report a substantial decrease in pain for nearly a year. In contrast, others report pain-free symptoms for months. The most successful procedures are coupled with associated treatments like physical therapy.
At the very least, the intermittent relief from chronic pain that you can get from a spinal cortisone shot gives your body time to heal naturally following an accident or other traumatic injury. Additionally, giving your mind a break from the constant barrage of discomfort and/or painkillers you need to take is equivalent to improving your overall quality of life.
When you live with chronic pain, building a relationship with your Midtown Manhattan pain management specialist helps as you make further decisions about your continued medical care. Once your doctor knows you better and understands your medical history, he can give you better advice regarding when might be the appropriate time for more invasive treatment like surgery.
An epidural steroid injection is an effective non-surgical treatment intended to treat pain in a particular region of your body, from your neck to your tailbone. The epidural injection NYC relieves low-back pain shooting to your legs caused by irritated and inflamed pinched nerves. The procedure involves injecting a local anesthetic (numbing medicine) and steroid medication into the epidural space through which the inflamed nerves travel.
An epidural treatment reduces the irritation of the nerve canals exiting your spine. These nerves span throughout the epidural space and lead to your back and legs. A herniated disc or narrowing of the areas inside your spine may be responsible for nerve roots irritation. Steroids (corticosteroids) are anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat several disorders. The epidural injection reduces the inflammation of the nerve roots by injecting an anti-inflammatory drug straight into the epidural space.
There is no need to move to any distant location to perform the epidural steroid treatment. The procedure can be safely executed in the office of our X-ray-equipped room.
The irritated nerve endings that need treatment are located in the epidural space. To gain access to them, a thin needle made of flexible material will be injected slightly to the side of your back’s middle.
An epidural shot can treat many conditions that, due to nerve inflammation, cause low back pain or leg pain. The typical conditions that epidural injections address are herniation, lumbar stenosis, and facet joint arthritis. Lumbar disc herniation happens when the inner, jelly-like center of the disc pushes the spinal canal through the outer ring. This can pressure the spine and nerves, causing nerve root pain to spread down your legs.
A narrowing of the spinal canal in the low back area is lumbar spinal stenosis. It gives rise to pain in your back or can cause fatigue and tingling in your legs, particularly when standing upright or walking. Facet joint arthritis is when inflammation develops in your small joints between two spinal bones, causing back pain that can spread to your legs.
Here’s a step-by-step recreation of the whole procedure:
The time of the treatment is approximately 5-6 minutes.
We will monitor you for any problems for around 15 to 20 minutes before being discharged after the operation.
Injections of epidural steroids are commonly considered a safe and successful cure for back and leg pain, pain in the center of the back, or pain in the neck and arm. There are rare severe incidents, but these may include bleeding, inflammation, or damage to the nerves. We reduce these risks by using live fluoroscopy, laser guidance, and contrast dye to precisely position the needle in the epidural space.
In the injected area, some patients can feel soreness or slight discomfort. When the local anesthesia wears off while the steroids have not begun to take effect can lead to this sort of pain. By applying ice packs and taking a low dose of Tylenol, you can manage this soreness. Bleeding, infection, and headaches include unusual complications.
“Steroid flush” or temporary flushing of the face and chest, elevated blood sugar, sleep issues, menstrual issues in women, and water retention are possible side effects of steroids. Since we use a limited amount of potent steroids, these side effects are uncommon. Without any medication, the side effects resolve within 2-3 days.
Epidural injections do not cause weight gain. Long-term use of high-dose steroids has widespread adverse effects, including body weight, and may alter some body systems. We restrict the number of shots of epidural steroids a person may obtain in a year.
In most patients with back or leg pain, epidural steroids benefit. The effect of steroids injection can take as long as 2-10 days. You may experience slightly elevated discomfort at the injection site before the steroid medicine kicks in. On the day of the operation, you are advised to relax and take a break.
It’s best to rest and relax for the remainder of the day after your procedure. Apply an ice pack to the injection area if you feel any discomfort afterward. The next day, you may resume all the usual activities.
You can take a shower on the same day as an epidural injection. To omit any possible complications, don’t take a bath or a hot tub; postpone your visit to the sauna or pool for at least two days.
All insurances generally cover epidural steroid injections.
It is possible to administer an epidural steroid injection 3-4 times a year. We try to avoid repeating the injection by optimizing the first epidural to be as good as possible. If there is a need, we may perform the treatment the second time. All the details can be discussed during your follow-up appointment.
Do you have any questions about the lumbar epidural cortisone steroid for back pain? Would you like to schedule an appointment with the best-rated back pain management doctor Febin Melepura MD of the sports pain management clinic in New York? Please contact our office for a consultation with the pain relief specialist in Midtown Manhattan.
Sports Injury & Pain Management Clinic of New York
Febin Melepura, MD is a top rated, best in class interventional pain management doctor. He is a nationally recognized pain relief specialist and is among the top pain care doctors in New York City and the country. He is an award winning expert and contributor to a prominent media outlets.
Dr. Febin Melepura has been recognized for his thoughtful, thorough, modern approach to treating chronic pain and, among other accolades, has been named a “top pain management doctor in New York”, and one of “America’s Top Doctors™” for an advanced sports injury treatments.