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Lumbar steroid epidural injection
An epidural injection delivers steroids
into the epidural space around spinal nerve roots to relieve pain - back
pain, leg pain, or other pain—caused by irritated spinal nerves. The
steroid used in the epidural steroid injection reduces the inflammation
of those nerves, which is often the source of the pain.
The word lumbar means that it is in the
lower back, so it is about vertebral column in the lower back, the word
epidural means that the injection is administered in the epidural space,
the space between the bone of the vertebra and the dura mater, the thick
and hard membrane which wraps around the spinal cord.
The procedure is very effective in
reducing pain in about 50 % of cases, you will probably feel nothing
more than a sting and then the pain will reduce its intensity – in other
words there’s nothing to be afraid of, it’s not as bad as it sounds.
Nerve irritation in the lumbar spine
- Low back pain and stiffness
- Groin pain
- Hip pain (arising from the back, not
hip)
- Buttock pain
- Leg pain, or numbness, tingling
- Sciatica
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