Epidural Steroid Injections for Back Pain

Epidural steroid injections (ESIs) are a common treatment option for many forms of low back pain and leg pain. The goal of the injection is pain relief. 

Epidural steroid injections deliver medication directly (or very near) to the source of pain generation. Steroids are delivered directly into the epidural space in the spine. Steroids inhibit the inflammatory response caused by chemical and mechanical sources of pain. Steroids also work by reducing the activity of the immune system to react to inflammation associated with nerve or tissue damage. 

Our office protocols are to administer two or three epidural steroid injections at 2-4 week intervals, and patients are revisited after each injection to monitor pain relief and reactions to the injections.

Patients will find that the benefits of pain reduction are increased when the epidural steroid injections are coupled with an organized rehabilitative exercise program. This is standard protocol at Michigan Sports & Spine Center. The body was designed to move, and it’s our goal to get you moving without pain.

The additional benefits of epidural steroid injections is:

• In contrast, oral steroids and painkillers have a dispersed, less-focused impact and may have unacceptable side effects. Stronger medications, opioids, can be dangerous and addicting.
• Surgery is highly risky and recovery time is long. Surgery should always be a last resort.

In general, epidural steroid injections are a low risk, useful, non-surgical tool to combat lower back pain and sciatica (radicular pain) caused by inflammation. Their safety and effectiveness makes epidural steroid injections an integral part of the non-surgical treatment of low back and radicular pain.