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A lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injection is an injection delivered straight into the lumbar region of the spine. Steroids reduce inflammation that may be irritating nerves and causing pain.
Epidural steroid injections treat lower back pain that may or may not spread into your buttocks or legs. They are a nonsurgical treatment option for a variety of conditions such as herniated discs and sciatica.
Steroid injections often provide many patients with long-term pain relief. If your symptoms begin to return, your doctor can repeat the injection as necessary. Many patients are able to manage their back pain symptoms using injections throughout the year.
At The Spine Care Center, our interventional pain management experts perform thousands of epidural steroid injections each year to relieve back pain. Thanks to their accurate diagnoses and precise injection placements, the majority of our patients find long-term pain relief without resorting back surgery.
Lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections don’t require much preparation. Your doctor may ask you not to eat or drink for a period of time before your injection. They may also ask you to stop taking certain medicines before your procedure. You should always tell your doctor about any medicines you are taking, including herbs and supplements.
You will also need to arrange for someone to drive you home from your procedure.
At The Spine Care Center, we perform epidural steroid injections in our comfortable and spacious procedure suite, and our staff strives to make you as relaxed as possible. Because our pain management experts are also board-certified anesthesiologists, they can provide with sedatives so you don’t experience any pain during your procedure.
After you are sedated, your physician will also inject a local anesthetic to numb the injection site. They will insert a special contrast dye into your spine, which allows your doctor to precisely place the needle.
During a transforaminal injection, the needle is carefully placed just outside the nerve root in the nerve sleeve. The medicine is injected and can then spread through the sleeve and up into the epidural space (the fluid-filled area around the nerves in your spine).
After the injection is complete, your doctor will place a bandage on the injection site and you will slowly be brought out of sedation. The entire procedure takes only a few minutes.
You will need to stay at our office for approximately half an hour as the sedative wears off. You will be monitored by our clinical staff until you are cleared to be driven home by your designated driver. You should rest and apply ice to your injection site if it feels tender. You may also experience some additional weakness in your legs immediately after the injection.
You will be able to return to your normal activities the next day. You may even start to feel the benefit of the steroid injection the next day or soon thereafter. You may experience rare, mild side effects such as a flushed face, trouble sleeping, or anxiety. If you are concerned about side effects, you should always speak to your physician before your procedure.
Don’t wait another day to pursue lasting back pain relief. Call The Spine Care Center in Manassas or request an appointment online to learn more about lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections.