NYC Back Pain Doctors: Caudal Epidural Steroid Injection Specialists

The doctor’s of Manhattan Pain and Sports Associates offer Caudal Epidural Steroid Injections (also knows as trigger point injections) for immediate back pain relief. 

Caudal Epidural Steroid Injections

Low back pain may be the most common medical complaint across the country. Your lower back supports most of your weight, so a host of different ailments and injuries can cause you pain. If you’re experiencing lower back pain, find a qualified pain management specialist in NYC to get an accurate diagnosis of your condition.

Once you know the reason for your pain, your doctor can start you on a treatment plan that begins with the most conservative pain relief options. If rest and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen don’t quiet your pain, however, you need to step up to a stronger solution. A caudal epidural steroid injection may be one option for you.

Why Have a Caudal Epidural Injection?

Your NYC pain management doctor may determine that a non-invasive procedure like a caudal epidural steroid injection is right for you. If you’ve had low back pain for longer than four weeks and the pain didn’t respond to other treatments, you may benefit from a caudal epidural injection. This injection provides the best pain relief for many conditions, including:

• Sciatic neuritis (sciatica)
• Spinal narrowing (spinal stenosis)
• Bone spurs
• Herniated discs

Lower back pain can also be associated with pain that radiates down one or both legs. A caudal epidural steroid injection can ease this type of pain as well. Your doctor knows if this treatment is right for you.

A Tailbone Injection

Your pain management doctor gives you a caudal epidural steroid injection at the base of your spine. During the procedure, you lay on your stomach. You’re given a local anesthetic, but may have a mild sedative if you wish. Using a fluoroscope or X-ray, your doctor pinpoints the exact spot to insert the needle — not into the spine, but into the epidural tissue surrounding the spine.

Before administering the steroid injection, your doctor may inject a dye first, to help him see where the medicine goes. The medicine is a combination of steroids and a local anesthetic. While the anesthetic provides short-term pain relief, the steroid medicine provides long-term relief. The steroids reduce any inflammation around your spine to free compressed nerves so the real healing can begin.

Quick-Acting and Long-Term Relief

At our NYC pain management specialist’s office, you’re on the table for less than 20 minutes. Within a half hour after the injection, you should feel some relief from the local anesthetic. Your pain might return after several hours, but should subside once the steroid medicine starts to work, within several days.

You’re able to return home after your injection, but you can’t drive yourself. Also, plan on spending the day relaxing. The day after your injection can be a normal day, in terms of activity, diet and other medications.

Pain relief from a caudal epidural steroid injection lasts at least several months. Your relief pattern may differ, but if your pain doesn’t disappear three days after your injection, consult your doctor. While you can receive only a limited number of steroid injections in the course of a year for safety reasons, you can get the pain relief you need with quarterly shots.

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