Epidurals and Spinal Injections
Question: I have a bulge at L4/5 in spine and have been offered a spinal injection to help with the pain. I also have stenosis in multiple places on my spine. The injection would be done at a major teaching hospital so I know I would be in safe hands.
Are these injections painful? Is it worth getting done? Is it risky?
Dr. Bruno’s Response: Spinal injections - epidural and facet joint injections - can be very helpful in treating stenosis (pinched nerves of pressure on the spinal cord). There are always risks. But they can be reduced by finding a doctor who is an expert at spinal injections.
Lumbar epidurals can cause "pressure pain" as a steroid and local anesthetic are injected in a very small space (the spinal cord is the diameter of a pencil, epidural space even smaller) and can trigger fainting. I would discuss a brief anesthetic (like low dose propofol) for lumbar epidurals.
Read more by searching the topic of Anesthesia in the Index of the Encyclopedia of Polio and PPS.