What are Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections?
Cervical epidural steroid injections target pain in the upper region of your spine, which includes your neck. This type of pain, especially when it’s acute or chronic, degrades your quality of life by forcing you to sit out your favorite activities.
The decision to get spine injections depends on your diagnosis. By trusting a specialist in the field of pain management like Dr. Ilana Etelzon, you get a personalized treatment plan to defeat the pain at its source. Dr. Etelzon is board certified in Rehab/Interventional Pain Management and Physical Medicine. Her practice in New York and New Jersey offer the most advanced minimally invasive procedures for pain.
Why Choose An Epidural Steroid Injection For My Pain?
Your spine is composed of ligaments, tendons, muscles, facets joints, vertebrae and discs, which give you the flexibility to twist, bend and move. Neck pain is usually the first sign that something’s wrong in your spine. While your doctor may want to try conventional treatments like medication and physical therapy first, you may need a different approach to get the best results.
An epidural steroid injection delivers the pain medication quickly and directly to a targeted area. Your spine and pain management expert may suggest this treatment option because of spinal conditions, such as:
A herniated disc
Radiculopathy
Spinal stenosis
Spondylolisthesis
Degenerative disc disease
Osteoarthritis
Failed back surgery
Synovial cysts
Osteophytes
The procedure for receiving a cervical epidural steroid injection is painless when you choose a spine expert with years of experience who practices pain management techniques. The target area is the epidural space that lies between your spinal cord and the vertebral canal. The injection bathes your spine in pain-killing, anti-inflammation medication. The procedure involves steps that include:
You start by lying face down on a table beneath a fluoroscope.
A numbing solution is applied to your skin.
Fluoroscopy, a live of x-ray images, guides your spine specialist to place the needle at the exact spot along your spine.
A contrast dye is inserted to make sure the needle is in the right position before the steroid and pain-relieving medicine.
Sometimes, Dr. Etelzon may suggest that you undergo this procedure as part of your diagnosis to find out the root cause of your pain problem. The procedure is the same, but the aim varies slightly, for example:
Using the same procedure, your doctor injects the epidural at a specific nerve point to see if this is the reason for your pain.
You may sometimes even be injected with simple anesthetic, as the goal isn’t long-lasting pain relief.
If the pain disappears or the pain is decreased over the following days, you’ve discovered the problem area in your spine.
If you don’t feel any relief, you may have to undergo the procedure again at another location.
The procedure only takes 10 to 15 minutes. Since this is an outpatient procedure, you return home the same day. Once home, place an ice pack wrapped in a towel on the injection site for 10 to 20 minutes to numb any discomfort. You should avoid any active tasks for the day of your day.
In general, you can expect your pain to dissipate within one to three days. Dr. Etelzon often recommends physical therapy to maximize the benefits from the injections. To get started, contact this pain management expert in NYC.