CARE & TREATMENT IN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY
This outpatient procedure is an injection of a steroid-anesthetic medication. The medication can reduce swelling and inflammation of irritated spinal nerves. This procedure is performed to relieve pain in the lower back and pain that radiates from the back to the legs. The injection takes only a few minutes to complete.
A transforaminal injection is an injection of long acting steroid into the opening at the side of the spine where a nerve roots exits. This opening is known as a foramen. There is a small sleeve of the epidural space that extends out over the nerve root for a short distance. This epidural root sleeve is just outside the spinal canal. Sometimes these injections are referred to as root sleeve blocks, root blocks or transforaminal epidural blocks. The long acting steroid that is injected reduces the inflammation and swelling of spinal nerve roots and other tissues surrounding the spinal nerve root. This may in turn reduce pain, tingling and numbness and other symptoms caused by such inflammation, irritation or swelling. Also, the transforaminal injections can be used to identify a specific spinal nerve root level or levels that are the source of pain.
Lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections are a common outpatient medical procedure involving an injection of steroid-anesthetic medication to reduce inflammation and swelling of spinal nerves. New York Spine Specialist is a leading team of spine surgeons in New York who provide these treatments to patients who can benefit from them.
The doctor inserts the injection into the epidural space in the spine. This area is made up of tiny blood vessels and fatty tissue that encases the dural sac, which surrounds the spinal cord, cerebrospinal fluid, and nerve roots.
The medication passes through a thin needle into the precise location in the epidural space where it is needed. It is usually a combination of steroid medications, a local anesthetic like lidocaine, and saline.
Saline flushes out substances that cause inflammation and swelling, and anesthesia deadens the spinal nerves at the injection site to numb the pain response. Steroids act directly as anti-inflammatory agents to reduce irritation around the dural sac.
The doctor uses a fluoroscopy to guide the needle to the spot where the medication is needed. Before injecting the medication, the doctor introduces a small amount of contrast dye to confirm the location. The shot is not painful, but patients sometimes feel a bit of pressure as the doctor injects the steroidal solution into the epidural space.
Patients often report that they can reduce the amount of pain medication they take after a transforaminal epidural steroid injection. One study found that of 20 patients who received the procedure, 10 experienced at least 50% relief lasting three months.
Many also express relief that they feel they have a method to control their chronic pain. Some patients can delay surgery or avoid it entirely after a successful epidural injection.
The team at New York Spine Specialist are experts in treating neck and back injuries and provide lumbar epidural steroid injection treatments for patients who will benefit from them.
Call New York Spine Specialist at (516) 355-0111 or request an appointment online today to learn more about lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections. Our doctors accept most insurance plans, including workers’ compensation, no-fault, and PIP (personal injury protection). Same-day appointments may be available.
This procedure is done under local anesthesia. Some patients choose to receive intravenous sedation that can make the procedure easier to tolerate. The amount of sedation given generally depends upon the patient. Some patients have enough sedation that they have amnesia and might not remember parts or all of the actual procedure. You should be able to go back to work the next day unless the procedure was extensive or complicated and involved a large number of levels. Usually you will feel some soreness or aching at the injection site only.
These are some common questions patients ask about transforaminal epidural steroid injections.
Generally, the injection procedure takes about 15 to 30 minutes. The injection itself usually takes less than 10 minutes. Many patients need to rest for a few minutes immediately after the injection before leaving the clinic.
The injection does not usually hurt, as a local anesthetic is injected just under the skin at the treatment location to numb the area.
Most patients can safely receive a lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injection three to six times per year. Some patients need fewer than that, and some receive more under certain circumstances.
