The epidural steroid injections are long lasting steroid (CORTISONE) injections that are injected into the Epidural space, the area which surrounds the spinal cord and the nerves coming out of it, to relieve the severe back pains, inflammation and/or swelling of nerves in the Epidural space, and to reduce pain, tingling & numbness and other symptoms caused by nerve inflammation / irritation or swelling. The epidural steroid injections are sometimes also called spinal injections.
The epidural steroid injections were first used in 1952 to cure low back pain associated with sciatica (pain in the sciatic nerve due to lumbar disc herniation). The epidural steroid injections are popular non-surgical treatment for low back pain. The epidural steroid injections are mixture of local anesthetics, such as lidocaine or bupivacaine and the steroid medications triamcinolone – Aristocort