An epidural is an injection in your back to stop you feeling pain in part of your body, commonly given for pain relief in childbirth and in some types of surgery. Epidural steroid injections have been used to treat pain caused by lumbar disc injuries since the 1950s.[1][2][3] These injections are often used in treating radicular pain, a neuropathic pain syndrome that radiates down a dermatome of 1 or more spinal nerves. Typically, the pain is due to nerve root irritation from mechanical compression by an intervertebral herniated disc, leading to inflammation. Additional etiologies leading to mechanical spinal nerve compression include spondylosis ... Current and accurate information for patients about Epidural Injections . Learn what you might experience, how to prepare for the exam, benefits, risks and much more. How long an epidural lasts depends on if you need one for anesthesia or as a steroid injection for chronic pain. Learn about the differences here.
