Back Pain Relief Injections

Your doctor will evaluate all available options for treating your back pain, including medication, physical therapy, and exercise. Back pain relief injections are used to reduce pain and inflammation. These injections typically contain a steroid and an anaesthetic.

Remember that while some people do obtain pain relief from these steroid injections, not everyone does.

What They Treat

Back pain relief injections may be used to treat two primary causes of back pain:

Inflammation or damage to a nerve – Frequently in the low back or neck. Radiculopathy is the medical term for this. Where the nerve exits the spine is where the issue starts. Sharp pain that travels from the lower back down one or both legs, or from the neck down an arm, is referred to as radiculopathy. Radiculopathy may be caused by a herniated disc.

Spinal Stenosis – This denotes a narrowing of the spine. A ruptured disc pressing on the spine, a bone spur protruding into that area, or, less frequently, a tumour pressing on the spine can all cause this. The nerves within are compressed by spinal stenosis. Pain from this typically affects the leg or buttocks. Perhaps you also experience back ache. When you’re active, your spinal stenosis discomfort can get worse; when you lean forward, it might get better.

The region around the irritated or injured nerves can get injections. Injections come in a variety of forms, including:

• Discography
• Epidural
• Nerve Block

Nerve Block Injections

A numbing agent, or anaesthetic, is injected into the region around the nerve during a nerve block. The most commonly employed anaesthetic is lidocaine.

Following a nerve block injection, you will experience immediate numbness and almost full pain relief. After several hours, it fades.

Discography

Some doctors provide nerve block injections in order to identify the source of the back discomfort. If your doctor performs this procedure, they will ask you which injection relieves your back discomfort. Then, a steroid and anaesthetic injection into that nerve via an epidural may be made. Or, your doctor might opt to try a different therapy.

Epidural Injections

The term “around the spinal cord” is epidural. These shots typically also contain an anaesthetic medication and a steroid drug, sometimes known as corticosteroid. It’s unclear how successful they are yet. They appear to have short-lived effects and provide relatively minimal pain alleviation. Therefore, you might not buy these if you have chronic back pain. Additionally, there are alternative treatments that your doctor would likely try first if your back pain developed unexpectedly.

Side Effects

Following back pain relief injections, there may be mild soreness or pain at the injection site. Vomiting, nausea, and headaches are also possible.

Injections can occasionally result in bleeding or infection. With your doctor, go over the advantages and disadvantages of each option as well as your other possibilities.

You can speak to a GJP Health physiotherapist in Kings Norton and we will give you the right advice for your back pain.