Epidurals for the lower back?
Question:
Answers:
I have had this done for back pain and it was a little uncomfortable but nothing to fear. It is called an ESI an it injects steroids and an anesthetic into the spine to relieve pain. If it works it will postpone or remove the need for surgery which is worth it.
The physician uses an X Ray to locate the area and then injects a 'numbing' agent into the skin. He then uses a needle to inject the steroids and anesthetic into your problem area and after a short...maybe 25 minutes....time you can drive home....I like to bring my husband with me....he holds my hand...besides he is a Neurosurgeon!
Other Answers:
It takes away all pain from the waist down. they give them during child birth. My wife had one and did not feel a thing, but pushed everything out and was alert.
bP
when my mom had it they put her under, it took the pain away for awhile, but the pain did end up coming back. Make sure you take someone with you, my mom was really out of it.
Run Don't Walk away from who ever wants you to have it done.. once you start you won't be able to stop.. and god forbid they screw up. you will be in an even worse boat
You don't normally go under
They are not super super painful, but they are uncomfortable.
They are done by an anesthesiologist and they are just an injection.... sometimes they don't even have to use local.
They usually take up to 3 shots in series to work the best.
They truely are worth it if you want to avoid surgery and get rid of pain. It tends to work for about 85% of my patients, and that is a chance most people are willing to take.
the epidurals are goven the same way as they are for pregnant women as far as i know, and yes they hurt a little but not feeling anything afterwards is worth it
i had an epidural during my fourth delivery
it did not hurt at all
afterwords i couldn't even feel contractions at all - NO PAIN
no it doesnt hurt, just a prick and as it goes in it numbs your back. so you dont have to worry. i have had it done.
I got an epidural when I was pregnant and it didn't put me to sleep.
The epidural they gave me at chidlbirth was not bad. It felt like a little jolt of lightening went down my leg when they did it. I don't know if it's the same type of not. It's to numb you from your waist down. I did not go under to have this done.
I've never heard of one being used for back pain but if it is like a regular epidural it won't hurt too much.I'm pretty sure it would be used as a local also.
The epidural injection blocks pain along the spinal column from the point of the injection. A normal use for an epidural, for instance, would be childbirth, where the shot would blunt the pain in the pelvic area.
For the herniated disc, it will make you numb to the adjustments that the doctor is making.
In other words, not to worry. You'll be fine.
Epidurals are used during deliveries (of babies). This brings the pain threshold way down. My wife had one giving birth to our daughter 8 years ago and was glad she did. As far as having one done for lower back pain....I don't think this is done. See a chiropractor for that.
Go here....
No going under, no local... And yes, it hurts. A lot. But what hurts more... your back pain long term, or a one-shot epidural?
I know 2 people who had this procedure done they told me after a while it's not effective anymore because your body is immune to it
they can help.. no you dont go under... they numb the area with a local and you do feel some pressure as the go in... I have found it easier to have them laying on my side.. but each dr has their own way to do them... I have have had 3 epidurals done for child birth, 2 they messed up and had to do twice; a blood patch, they are done the same way,; and 2 cortizone shots in my back
I've only seen one performed. Local anesthesia. No pain.
See a chiropractor before you under go that pain my dear. With the right care, you may not need to get the shots at all and you may actually restore your health without surgery. Are you icing the pain to prevent further swelling? are you laying on you back and propping yourself up on your elbows for a time to help restore the natural curve in your back? There is always a need for at least a second opinion. Remember that there type of doctor you went to will determine how he/she treats back injuries. Not all docs like surgery and not every doc will go for a physical therapist or chiropractic approach. Try the least invasive approach and move on from there. Don't listen to just one doctor's advice because they tend to be myopic in their approaches. I know, i have suffered through it, too. I found a chiropractor who was also a physical therapist and I no longer have herniated discs. Just remember, you can't undo back surgery that doesn't work.
Epidurals are the way to go for many procedures. When properly done they are completely effective. You can remain awake (if you choose) but the procedure renders you completely pain free. You are also completely paralyzed until it wears off so you need to work that out for yourself. The medication wears off quickly though with zero nausea or other ill effects that I'm aware of. I've had one epidural and it was great for what I had done. My daughter-in-law has has two for the birth of her two girls. The first one was a problem for her because the technician shoved the needle completely through the specific target area. She did have some complications. Her most recent one was just fine though.
I have never had one, even during childbirth ( I was afraid).....I have found for you some good information and I hope that it will help you. I am sorry that you are feeling bad...it can be awful pain.
http://www.spine-health.com/topics/conserv/epidural/feature/ep01.html
Epidural steroid injections
Introduction
Spinal injections are not new – the use of spinal injections to treat low back pain was first documented in 1901, and in 1952 epidural steroid injections were first used to treat low back pain with associated sciatica (pain in the sciatic nerve due to lumbar disc herniation). Today, epidural steroid injections have become an integral part of non-surgical management of low back pain.
An epidural injection is typically used to alleviate chronic low back and/or leg pain. While the effects of the injection tend to be temporary - providing relief from pain for one week up to one year - an epidural can be very beneficial for patients during an episode of severe back pain. Importantly, it can provide sufficient pain relief to allow the patient to progress with their rehabilitation program.
An epidural is effective in significantly reducing pain for approximately 50% of patients. It works by delivering steroids directly to the painful area to help decrease the inflammation that may be causing the pain. It is thought that there is also a flushing effect from the injection that helps remove or "flush out" inflammatory proteins from around the structures that may cause pain.
This article provides an overview of epidural steroid injections, including:
What is an epidural steroid injection?
When is an epidural typically recommended?
How is the injection performed?
What are the benefits?
What are the potential risks or side effects?
How frequently can epidural steroid injections be performed?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... frequently can epidural steroid injections be performed?
There is no definitive research to dictate the frequency of how often a patient should have epidural steroid injections for low back pain and/or leg pain. In general, it is considered reasonable to perform up to three epidural injections per year.
Epidural steroid injection timing varies
Typically, epidural steroid injections are done in two-week intervals. However, there is no general consensus in the medical community as to whether or not a series of three injections need always be performed. If one or two injections lessen the patient’s low back pain and/or leg pain, some physicians prefer to save the third epidural steroid injection for any potential recurrences of back pain later in the twelve-month period.
By: Rick Staehler, MD
November 1999 (updated August 4, 2000)
http://www.spine-health.com/topics/conserv/epidural/feature/ep07.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...
http://www.ask.com/web?q=Epidural+for+back+pain&qsrc=0&o=333&l=dir
There are many links to this topic here...
Good Luck to you.
If you are having one it must be mild I had one for child delivery c-secion...
IT HURT...sorry but it did...they did not put me under anything just put my lower body to sleep...It is used for surgery and for PAIN treatments.
IT says they will put a numing solution...so read on....
Pain Question & Answer
Epidural Steroids
by Scott M. Fishman, MD
Question: I have had low back pain for several years and my doctor has completed a battery of tests but cannot find anything specifically wrong with my back. Now my doctor wants me to get an epidural steroid injection. What is an epidural steroid injection and will it help?
Answer: Epidural steroid injections are a common medical technique to treat low back pain, hopefully enabling a patient to resume normal daily activities within a relatively short period of time.
An epidural steroid injection refers to the placement of an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid drug in the epidural space of the back. This epidural space is located just next to the spinal cord. When a doctor is going to inject an epidural steroid in this region, he usually first administers a numbing medicine (which is usually a drug called lidocaine) just underneath the skin. This numbing medicine takes effect within a minute. A needle is then passed to the epidural space, near the spine, through which the steroid drug is injected. The needle is then removed. These procedures are often performed by doctors who specialize in pain medicine, although most anesthesiologists are comfortable performing this as well.
Patients may initially try oral anti-inflammatory drugs before progressing to an epidural steroid injection. Common oral anti-inflammatory agents for low back pain include ibuprofen (Motrin®), naproxen (Aleve®), and many others. These are effective, but they have a tendency to thin the blood by inhibiting the clotting of platelets in the blood. Thus, these drugs may not be recommended to be taken at the same time as an epidural injection because of the risk of possible bleeding in the area of the spinal cord. There are two newer drugs called Celebrex® and Vioxx® that also appear to be effective anti-inflammatory weapons against pain and have less risk of thinning the blood. Other therapies for low back pain include ice, decreased activities that cause pain, moderate physical therapy, learning proper techniques for lifting heavy objects, and learning how to bend in such a way as to prevent further injury to the back.
Steroids refer to a special class of drugs, or hormones, that can have multiple effects on the body’s development and healing process. Some types of steroids effect growth and muscular development (such as anabolic steroids that athletes have been known to abuse in order to increase their muscle size and strength). Other types of steroids decrease inflammation in the body caused by such diseases as arthritis or asthma. These anti-inflammatory steroid drugs include prednisone, dexamethasone, and triamcinolone, just to name a few. These are the ones we use with epidurals.
When an epidural steroid injection is completed in the lower back, the drug is delivered by the needle to an area around the nerves that are inflamed. The drug is intended to decrease inflammation, which ought to have a beneficial effect on reducing pain. Patients often do not feel persistent relief until several days after the injection and sometimes the pain can slightly worsen before improving. Many patients require repeating the injection two to three times. Because there are risks associated with too frequent exposure to steroids, these injections are usually repeated no more frequently than three times every six months to a year.
The risks from epidural steroid injections are rare but can include bleeding, infection, and temporary irritation to the nerve root or headache. Other more serious complications can occur but are too rare to mention here. If you are thinking about having an epidural steroid completed, you need to review these risks carefully with your doctor. In the right case, the benefits of having an epidural steroid injection to decrease pain usually far outweigh the risks.
August, 2004
When most people say "epidural" they mean the nerve block usingthe continuous infusion of medicine that numbs the patient from the level where the infusion was started and downward....
I bet you are referring to an "Epidural Injection" or Epidural Steroid Injection", right?
If so, that's not a constant infusion of pain mediciation but a on-time injection. Although MD's that do these usually do a series of 3 injections spaced out over months. Most patients aren't put to sleep but given a local infection in the skin to numb the area and then using a special xray they guide a needle to the right location in the spine and inject a combination of pain medication and steriods. The steroids reduce inflammation (swelling, irritation) and the pain med gives serious relief from pain. It usually doesn't hurt but there are risks like with any procedure (ie. bleeding, infection...)
The only MD's that should be doing this is a Physiatrist (physical medicine specialist/MD) or a specially trained Anethesiaologist. All this should be discussed at length before anything s done. If not, then don't let him/her touch you.
Hope this helps.
some info i found ....you might not want to waste the money
Dr. Carette's study found that although epidural injections for disc herniation of the low back relieved pain in the leg temporarily, the benefit was short-lived. In fact, after three months there was no benefit from epidural injection compared to salt water placebo injection. Further, the need for surgery was not influenced by the injection even one year later.
Dr. Carette's study demonstrated that epidural cortisone injections can relieve pain in the short-term. However, this study seems to suggest that undergoing an epidural cortisone injection for sciatica from a herniated disc in order to avoid surgery may not be valid.
Hi, I had epidurals when I delivered my baby.
Local anesthesia is use for epidurals. The local is not really very painful, just a prick.
You do not fall asleep but just don't feel pain at your lower back. As the amount of epidural given to your body can be controlled, if you feel some pain, just ring the bell and request for a stronger dose.
Good luck.
I had it. They give you a local. That's the only thing that you even feel & it's just for a second. It really helped my pain for the past year. I have bulging discs & arthritis. Be sure to sleep with a pillow between your knees to keep your hips & low back in a straight line. That really helps. Good luck!
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