Delivering medication directly to the nerves causing your back or neck pain can provide dramatic relief that often lasts for months. If you can benefit from an epidural nerve block to your spine, the Wisconsin Spine and Pain team can help. At their locations in Waukesha, West Bend, Sheboygan, Green Bay, and Greenfield, Wisconsin, the board-certified pain management specialists perform image-guided epidural steroid injections. To benefit from their expertise, call Wisconsin Spine and Pain or book an appointment online today.
The Wisconsin Spine and Pain team uses epidural steroid injections for painful conditions of the spine. The three types of epidural steroid injections are:
The injections contain a mixture of local anesthetic and steroid medication. The anesthetic quickly blocks pain in the short term and helps reduce the severity of your pain going forward.
Steroids have powerful anti-inflammatory properties that offer long-term pain reduction. They also promote the stability of membranes that surround your nerves and affect the conduction of ions, both of which help to further reduce pain.
The team at Wisconsin Spine and Pain uses epidural steroid injections to treat many chronic back and neck conditions, including:
Radiculopathy or pinched nerves often result from changes in your spine when you have disc problems, stenosis, or arthritis. Epidural steroid injections are highly effective at targeting the affected nerve endings and may enable you to participate in vital physical therapy.
Before giving you your epidural steroid injection, your provider at Wisconsin Spine and Pain applies a topical anesthetic to your skin.
To prevent healthy nerve roots from exposure to too much medication, your provider uses imaging technology (fluoroscopy) to guide them when inserting the needle and to confirm the correct placement.
The needle goes in the epidural space surrounding your spine. Your provider injects a contrast dye into the target area to observe where the medication is going and ensure its proper distribution throughout the tissues.
Following your injection, you can return home; your provider will give you any instructions needed to ensure a safe recovery.
The effects of steroid injections usually last for several or many months, but results can vary considerably between patients. Repeating the injections several times over one year can improve the long-term effects of the treatment.
If you have a painful back or neck condition that you think might benefit from epidural steroid injections, you can find out more by calling Wisconsin Spine and Pain or booking an appointment online today.
