Best Rated Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection Back Pain Doctor NYC

The pain management specialists of Manhattan Pain and Sports Associates can give you a lumbar epidural steroid injection in his office. The whole process takes less than a half hour. The lumbar epidural steroid injection process is quite simple: You lie on an X-ray table, face down. The X-ray or fluoroscope provides images that guide your doctor’s decision where to insert the needle.

Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection

Your lower back, called the lumbar spine, carries most of your weight. It’s also more prone than other parts of your spine to injury and ailment. So when you feel pain in your lower back, see a pain management specialist. He has the medical knowledge, diagnostic tools and treatment options to get you out of pain.

A number of different conditions can cause back pain. A proper diagnosis is required before you can get appropriate pain relief. In Manhattan, your pain management doctor talks to you, performs a physical exam and may even order diagnostic tests. Once you discover what’s causing your pain, you’ll start with conservative pain treatments, such as physical therapy and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories.

A Stronger Solution

If your pain doesn’t respond to that treatment, you may need a more aggressive approach. A lumbar epidural steroid injection can help relieve your pain if you’ve been diagnosed with:

Sciatica, which also causes pain and tingling to radiate down one leg, is a common ailment in NYC. But a lumbar epidural steroid injection can relieve the associated pain at its source: your lumbar spine. The injection doesn’t cure the cause of your pain directly, but it reduces the swelling around the affected nerve, reducing your pain and giving your body the time it needs to heal.

Getting the Injection

Your  pain managementdoctor may inject a dye to better see, through the X-rays, where to inject the medication. The needle doesn’t go into your spine; it just needs to penetrate your epidural layer, which surrounds your spine. The medicine includes a steroid anti-inflammatory to reduce the swelling and an anesthetic to provide immediate pain relief.

Returning to Your Normal Life

After the injection, you should feel better within minutes. You may experience some temporary lack of strength in your legs, but it will pass. You must remain in the doctor’s office for another half hour for observation, after which you can return home — as long as someone else accompanies you. You cannot drive.

Once the anesthetic wears off, in several hours, your pain may return until the steroid has a chance to work, usually in a few days. You can apply ice to your back and take oral medication in the meantime. Plan to spend the day of your injection taking it easy, but you can return to work the next day with no limitations. Report back to your doctor if you do not feel any pain relief.

Manhattan Pain and Sports Associates
51 East 25th St, 4th Floor, Ste B
New York, NY 10010
(212) 533-3954