Epidural
Steroid Injections for Lower Back Pain in Monmouth County
For
patients with lower back pain, Epidural Steroid Injections are
a common treatment option. This procedure involves the injection
of a steroid into the epidural space, thereby reducing inflammation
and swelling in the nerves. Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation offers
Epidural Steroid Injections for patients who are suffering from
the symptoms of nerve inflammation or irritation in the lower
back (lumbar spine), including not only pain but also numbness,
tingling, leg pain, and muscle weakness.
As
part of conservative plans of rehabilitation, Epidural Steroid
Injections help to accomplish several important objectives. The
first of these is to provide crucial relief to patients suffering
from severe lower back pain. Such injections are also helpful
to patients who wish to avoid unnecessary and traumatic lower
back surgery as well as the potentially damaging use of painkilling
medications. Finally, Epidural Steroid Injections often provide
enough relief that patients may begin to participate in programs
of physical therapy and chiropractic
in order to directly address the cause of pain and prevent future
injury and suffering.
Epidural
Steroid Injections are provided in our Red Bank office and are
performed by pain management specialists. Our medical staff consists
only of the very best in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
(PM&R). In order to perform the most accurate and effective
Epidural Steroid Injections possible, our office has incorporated
Fluoroscopy, an imaging technique
that affords our physicians the ability to view images of the
body in real time and when in motion.
There
are a number of common conditions that can cause lower back pain
and may require the use of Epidural Steroid Injections. These
include:
•
Disc Injuries: A disc herniation or bulge in the lower back can
cause serious pain and the symptoms associated with sciatica
(lower back pain, leg pain, muscle weakness, numbness, etc.).
This occurs when the inner part of a spinal disc pushes through
the disc’s outer ring and puts pressure on spinal nerves.
While physical therapy and chiropractic are often excellent treatment
options for a disc issues, many patients experience pain that
restricts the ability to take advantage of such options. Epidural
Steroid Injections provide a way for patients to begin the rehabilitation
process.
•
Degenerative Disc Disease: The normal aging process is hard on
spinal discs; normal wear and tear can cause the outer ring of
the disc to become torn or cracked, which may lead to a disc bulge
or herniation. The disc itself begins to lose fluid, thereby compromising
its ability to provide flexibility and shock absorption for the
spine.
•
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Usually associated with aging, this condition
involves the narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back.
When the spinal canal narrows, the nerves that branch out from
the spinal cord become compressed and irritated. The spinal cord
is also vulnerable to irritation from the narrowing of the spinal
canal. Spinal stenosis is often associated with osteoarthritis.
NJ
Epidural Steroid Injections for Low Back Pain: Avoiding Surgery
and Reducing Drug Use
Avoiding
Surgery
There
is a growing and very illuminating body of research demonstrating
that surgeries
for back pain are, in many cases, unnecessary and ineffective.
While the number of patients receiving lower back pain surgeries
is growing, the number of patients actually finding long-term relief
from such surgeries is not. While Epidural Steroid Injections do
not directly address the causes of pain, they provide pain relief
so that patients may begin the healing process through chiropractic
care, therapeutic exercise programs, lumbar traction, laser therapy,
and electrotherapy.
Cutting
back on Medication
Because
Epidural Steroid Injections are used to deliver long-lasting steroid
and anesthetic medications directly to the source of pain, many
patients find that they no longer need or can cut back on the use
of analgesic medications. For patients suffering from lower back
pain, this is very good news: oral medications (including prescriptions
painkillers and over-the-counter drugs) can inflict serious damage
to the body in the form of gastrointestinal issues and kidney/liver
damage. Furthermore, they do not provide a targeted approach for
pain; instead, medication is dispersed throughout the body.
Epidural
Steroid Injections also flush out inflammatory chemicals and proteins
from the site of pain while locally controlling inflammation. In
addition to delivering steroids in the precise epidural space in
the spine, saline or an anesthetic may be used to flush out these
inflammatory substances.
Epidural
Steroid Injections at Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation
For
those suffering from lower back pain in Monmouth County, contact
our office. We administer Epidural Steroid Injections in our
Red Bank pain management facility, in addition to a number of other
interventional pain management techniques. Our goal is to help patients
find relief from lower back pain with the most conservative methodology
possible.
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