If you or someone you know suffers from chronic pain, you may have heard about an epidural injection. Epidural injections commonly treat pain associated with degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, herniated discs, sciatica and other conditions linked to neck and back pain. The physicians at OPTIMAL Pain & Regenerative Medicine® can help Arlington, Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas patients fight pain with the use of catheter guided injections.
What is an Epidural Injection?
An epidural injection is a non-surgical pain management treatment for patients who suffer from neck and back pain. Patients can experience rapid relief of pain symptoms from an epidural injection. Many patients go back to a healthy, active lifestyle after receiving the injection. The amount and length of pain relief varies from patient to patient and are dependent on other health factors.
There are four basic epidural injections:
- Interlaminar
- Transforaminal
- Caudal injections
- Catheter guided injections
What are Catheter Guided Injections?
Catheter guided injections allow for an epidural injection to be accurately placed at any given level in the epidural space of the spine. One of our physicians will use a catheter to accurately inject the steroid and long-acting local anesthetic.
The most common reason for the use of catheter guided injections is severe or prolonged back or neck pain. This procedure is highly effective in patients who experience back pain as a result of a disc or facet condition related to aging or arthritis.
What Happens During Catheter Guided Injections?
Catheter guided injections are a quick and painless procedure. A local anesthetic injection is used to numb the skin and deeper tissue surrounding the epidural injection placement. When the skin and muscles are numb, a thin needle is inserted into the epidural space. Through a needle, the catheter is guided into the area causing the pain. Once the catheter is in place and verified by a contrast medium, medication is injected through the catheter.
Some patients experience increased back or leg pain during the procedure, which is common and temporary. Some patients experience loss of bladder control for a brief amount of time after the procedure. Emptying the bladder and limiting fluid intake before the procedure may help.
Catheter guided injections offer an accurate epidural injection with a low risk of complications. For more information, please contact OPTIMAL Pain & Regenerative Medicine® in the Arlington, Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas area.