Epidural Steroid Injection

An epidural steroid injection can help relieve pain in the neck, arm, lower back and leg (sciatica) caused by swelling and irritation of the spinal nerves.

An epidural steroid injection involves bathing the irritated spinal nerves with a steroid (anti-inflammatory medication) and a local anesthetic (numbing medication).

During this treatment, medication is placed into the epidural space where the spinal nerves exit the spine. If the pain is significantly improved after the injection, no further injection is usually needed. Pain relief may be very long-lasting. However, it is not unusual to need more than one injection to get pain relief and/or for a longer benefit.

Procedure overview (PDF)

Patient guidelines (PDF)