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Medford Epidural Spinal Treatment
Have you ever considered the option of epidural treatment to alleviate the symptoms of a degenerative spinal condition? When you are faced with a degenerative spinal condition like spinal stenosis or a herniated disc, the discomfort you feel can come in many different forms. Some patients report having acute and recurrent pain in their back while others comment that they feel muscle weakness in their legs, buttocks, or hips and still others report a combination of these symptoms.
While the methods of treatment range all the way to full-blown back surgery, we find that there are other nonsurgical, minimally invasive procedures that often produce desired results without the need for a hospital stay and extended recovery time. One such procedure is an epidural spinal treatment and it is available right in Medford, NY at Total Chiropractic Care and Wellness.
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What Does an Epidural Spinal Treatment Entail?
What happens during the epidural spinal injection procedure is that a hypodermic needle is used to deliver an injection right to the source of the pain. Oftentimes with spinal stenosis or a herniated disc, the targeted area is the epidural space around the inflamed nerves of the spine that are causing discomfort. The injection is usually a combination of a steroid compounded with an anesthetic. The steroids cause the inflammation to diminish as the production of proteins that cause inflammation is prevented and the anesthetic blocks nerve receptors in the area which dulls the pain felt in the affected area.
How The Epidural Spinal Injection Works
- The patient lies down on their stomach so that their back is exposed
- The are is wiped where the injection will be administered with antiseptic solution to kill any foreign bacteria
- A local anesthetic is given to numb the site where the injection will take place.
- Using a type of x-ray guidance system called fluoroscopy, a small needle is directed to the area where the main injection will take place
- Special contrasting dye is injected to make sure the needle is placed properly and the medication that is going to be administered is spread to the areas needed.
- The needle is removed and the area is wiped with antiseptic one more time.
The process takes about 30 minutes and the patient is monitored for 30-60 minutes after the procedure is completed.
How Long is The Recovery Time After Epidural Spinal Treatment?
Directly following the injection it is normal to experience some temporary numbness in your arms or legs. This side effect usually goes away in 1-8 hours after the procedure. Initially, pain may increase in the range of 24-48 hours, however the pain-relieving benefits of the epidural spinal injection should take effect from anywhere to 24-72 hours after the procedure. It is advised that you should not drive after the procedure and should try to avoid strenuous activity during the day following your injection.
How Often Should You Get an Epidural?
Epidural spinal injections, as previously stated, are a good solution for short term pain relief and if it resolves the pain you might feel that you’d want to have another injection. The healthy rule-of-thumb is to have no more than three injections a year to effectively relieve pain. If pain continues though, back surgery might be a permanent solution for the discomfort you are experiencing.
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Schedule an Appointment with Your Chiropractor, Dr. Todd Goldman
Dr. Todd Goldman will work with you to determine if an epidural spinal injection is the right solution for the particular pain you are experiencing. With over 25 years in the practice of chiropractic services, you can be sure you’re spine health is in the best hands with Dr. Goldman and the entire staff of Total Chiropractic Care and Wellness.
Please contact us today if you have any questions, comments or would like to schedule an appointment. We have free consultations too.