Epidural

One of the most common pain management procedures is the epidural block. It is performed under sterile conditions using television x-ray to be sure that the needle is placed in the proper location.

Typically, a mixture of numbing medicine, cortisone, and sometimes pain medication such as morphine is injected into the epidural space where the spinal nerves and spinal cord is located. Most pain management physicians will not do more than three of these injections in one year due to potential problems and complications associated with too much cortisone use.

In general, the success rate is around 60-70 percent but depends on the problem being treated. The procedure is most effective for degenerative or arthritic inflammatory conditions followed by pinched nerve or sciatic pain.

It is important to know that the epidural attempts to treat the symptoms of an underlying problem but not the problem itself. It tries to buy time while Mother Nature tries to correct the underlying problem naturally. It does have the tendency to be abused especially if it is not helping. The epidural is often tried as an alternative to more invasive surgical procedures.

Epidural can treat the following conditions:

Herniated Intervertebral Disc
Degenerative Disc Disease
Spondylolisthesis
Facet Arthritis
Spinal Stenosis