An epidural steroid injection delivers anti-inflammatory medication into the epidural space, the area that surrounds the spinal nerves. By calming irritated nerves, it can ease pain that starts in your neck or lower back and travels into your arms or legs. At Princeton Orthopaedic Associates, we use epidural injections to relieve pain from conditions such as herniated discs, sciatica and spinal stenosis, and to help you get back to physical therapy and the activities you enjoy.

Who Performs Epidural Injections at POA

Our epidural injections are performed by Dr. Brendan K. Skeehan, Dr. Angela A. Sedhom and Dr. Arik Mizrachi, our physiatrists who specialize in non-surgical care for spine and nerve pain. Each of them starts by reviewing your symptoms, exam and imaging, so an injection is only recommended when it is the right next step for you.

Who Might Benefit From an Epidural Injection?

Your doctor may suggest an epidural injection if you have:

• Pain that travels from your lower back into your leg (sciatica), or from your neck into your arm
• A herniated or bulging disc that is irritating a nerve
• Spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the space around the spinal cord and nerves
• Back or neck pain that has not improved enough with rest, medication or physical therapy

What to Expect During the Procedure

An epidural injection is an outpatient procedure, and the injection itself usually takes only a few minutes. We start by numbing the skin at the injection site. Your doctor then uses live x-ray imaging to guide a thin needle to the exact spot and delivers the medication where the nerve is irritated. After a short rest, most people go home the same day.

Recovery and Results

You may feel some soreness where the needle went in for a day or two. Some people notice relief within a few days, while for others the medication takes longer to reach its full effect. How much relief you get, and how long it lasts, varies from person to person.

An epidural injection eases pain, but it does not repair the underlying problem in the spine. That is why we often pair it with physical therapy, so you can use the window of relief to build strength and flexibility. Your doctor will follow up with you to see how you responded and talk through the next steps in your care.

You can learn more about steroid injections and corticosteroids and the other spinal injections we offer, including nerve root and facet joint injections.