The commonly performed epidurals are fraught with overt and hidden dangers.
What is an epidural injection?
An epidural injection is an injection in the spine outside the layers of the spinal cord and is performed with a large-bore needle. A sizable amount of hydrocortisone from 500 mg to 750 mg is injected. The most common indication for epidural injection is pain in the spinal area which includes neck pain, back pain etc.
The hazards of epidural injection are many:
- Spinal puncture headache from an inadvertent tear of the coverings of the spinal cord leading to a leakage of the fluid surrounding the cord and the brain.
- Deleterious side effects such as worsening of diabetes, obesity, weight gain, fluid retention, and severe hormonal side effects such as flushing, menstrual bleeding, etc.
- A propensity for infections such as epidural abscess, meningitis, etc.
- Spinal hematoma, which needs to be diagnosed rapidly and may need emergency spinal surgery. If the surgery is not performed early enough, paralysis and loss of bladder and intestinal control may follow.
- Avascular necrosis of the bone resulting in vertebral fractures and hip fractures.
- Most importantly, conventional epidurals have a success rate of only 16% to 18%.
At the Premier Pain Institute, a much more targeted and precise injection of the nerve root and the disc is performed using live x-ray and a very minuscule amount of anti-inflammatory agents such as dexamethasone or betamethasone is injected under constant visual monitoring. This procedure is called selective root sleeve injection.
The procedures for relieving neck and back pain at the Premier pain institute have a success rate of over 95% and patients experience virtually no side effects.
Call Premier Pain Institute today at 480-314-2288 for getting your pain fixed within a few hours.