Resolved question:
I have been told after an MRI that I need a Epidural steroid injection for lumbar spinal stenosis. Is this procedure something I should be worried about (eg paralysis)?
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Family Physician-GP
Hello,
Thank you for choosing DoctorSpring.
Epidural steroid injection is generally a safe procedure. Epidural steroid injections are a common treatment option for many forms of low back pain. Other forms of epidural injections (such in Anaesthesia ) are much more common. Serious side effects / complications are observed very rarely in clinical practice. Post procedure headaches can occur, but this can be easily managed.
Being said that there are reports of more serious (but very rare) complications like nerve injury and infection reported with this procedure. But no medical procedure is without complications. With adequate measure this can be prevented and this should not deter you from going for the treatment.
Hope this helps
Feel free to ask followups.
Thank you
thank you very much doctor. What is the prognosis for alleviation of pain in the shoulders, back, neck and arms with this procedure?
Hello,
You have mentioned Lumbar epidural injection. Typically this injection targets only 1 or 2 levels of spine. So in this case your Doctor should be targeting the leg pain. The results are average. They provide good pain relief in many cases, but benefits are not seen beyond 3 months in most cases. That means the pain relief can be temporary. A lot depends on the type of lesion and location.
Hope this helps
Feel free to ask followups
Thank you