How an Epidural Steroid Injection Can Help Your Sciatica

If sciatic pain is holding you back from living your life to the fullest, an epidural steroid injection may be just what you need. Here’s how it works and what to expect from this sciatica-relieving treatment.

Back pain is a problem no matter what form it takes. When your back pain comes from sciatica, it gets extra problematic. On top of the back pain, you might have shooting sensations down one leg, tingling and numbness, and other issues.

You’re not stuck with all of these unwelcome sensations. At South Texas Pain Institute, Shyam Purswani, MD, has extensive experience helping people with sciatica. He provides several treatment options to explore with you, ranging from massage therapy to nerve blocks. Here, he discusses a particularly effective option: epidural steroid injections.

What the research says about epidurals for sciatica

When you hear the word “epidural,” your mind might immediately go to childbirth. But epidurals don’t get their name from labor-related pain management. Instead, that name comes from where they insert the medication: into the epidural space.

Your epidural space spans your entire spine. It’s the area between your vertebrae and the tough outer covering of your spinal cord (your dura mater). It contains the roots of your spinal nerves, making it an effective treatment area for targeting pain.

When it comes to sciatica, injecting a steroid (an anti-inflammatory medication) into the epidural space of your lower back can bring relief.

Studies have shown that it’s particularly effective at relieving sciatic nerve pain. Other research notes that people found relief when their sciatica came from a herniated disc.

In short, there’s a body of scientific evidence that epidural injections ease pain from sciatica that stems from a variety of causes.

What to expect with your epidural

On the day of your appointment, we have you change into a gown and lie face down on a table. We thoroughly clean the injection area. Then, we start the epidural process, which usually takes 15-30 minutes.

Treatment isn’t painful. You’ll feel a quick pinch as Dr. Purswani injects the anesthetic to numb the treatment area. Once that goes to work, you experience no pain during the actual epidural, although you might feel some pressure or tingling.

We briefly monitor you after treatment, but you can get back to your day shortly afterward.

It’s normal to have more discomfort in the area immediately after your appointment. It takes some time for the steroid to take effect. Your pain level might increase for a few days before it gets better. Within a week, you should feel the full results of your treatment.

If the epidural steroid injection works for you, it should bring you relief for several months.

To learn how this minimally invasive treatment could help alleviate your back pain, see Dr. Purswani. He can help you figure out if an epidural steroid injection is right for you, or if your sciatica is more likely to respond to another type of treatment. To get started, request an appointment online or call us at (210) 899-7246.