An epidural steroid injection is a non-surgical procedure that can help relieve neck, arm, back, and leg pain caused by inflamed spinal nerves due to a spine condition like spinal stenosis or a herniated disc. During this procedure, a corticosteroid (anti-inflammatory medicine) is injected into the epidural space, which is the area between the bone and the protective sac of the spinal nerve. There are two methods your doctor may use to inject the medication: interlaminar, in which the doctor will inject the epidural space from behind, and transforaminal, when the injection goes in from the side.

Fluoroscopy is used to direct the needle into its proper position, which allows your doctor to watch the needle in real time on the x-ray monitor. A dye is injected first to ensure the needle is in the right place, and the medicine will follow. The injection works to relieve pain by reducing inflammation around the spinal nerves; while the treatment can provide pain relief, it will not make a herniated disc smaller or fix whatever spine condition is causing the pain.

Pain relief is usually felt two to three days after injection, but can take up to a week to take effect depending on the patient. The amount and duration of pain relief can also vary from weeks to years, and is dependent on many factors. It is important to discuss with your doctor your response to epidural steroid injections in order to plan future treatments.

 

Pain Management Specialists

Pain management specialists are experts in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating different types of pain, whether that’s chronic pain, pain that stems from an injury, or a combination.

Many medical practices will automatically offer surgery to a patient in pain. At the Interventional Spine & Surgery Group, we understand that most patients can actually get better with conservative treatment, which is why this type of treatment is done first by the best pain management specialists and the best non-surgical techniques.

Our team of the best pain management specialists utilize a variety of non-surgical treatments, including:

• Epidural Steroid Injections
• Electromyogram (Emg)
• Major Joint Injections
• Medial Branch Facet Blocks
• Rhizotomy
• Sacroiliac Joint Injections
• Selective Nerve Root Blocks

Our practice philosophy is to get you better with the least amount of treatment necessary, which is why we start patients with consultations with the best pain management specialists. If conservative treatment doesn’t quite do the trick, our pain management specialist and the rest of our team of experts, including orthopedic and spine surgeons, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and physiatrists, work very closely, evaluating and treating patients at the same time, coordinating care and putting more than one expert mind to the best options for treatment.

Your best choice for treating pain is a practice like the Interventional Spine & Surgery Group, where six specialties within pain management exist under one roof. The patient benefits by being under the care of not just one doctor, but having access to an entire team of specialists with training, support, and experience, including neurosurgeons, neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, physiatrists, and the best pain management specialists. We treat patients across northern New Jersey, with locations in North Bergen, South Orange, Englewood, Clifton, Succasunna, and Totowa. Contact our office today to learn more about how the best pain management specialists at the Interventional Spine & Surgery Group can treat your pain without surgery.