Are You a Candidate for Spinal Injections?

Every time you move, you wonder if more pain will follow. That’s what life looks like when you’re suffering from chronic pain such as back or neck pain. Fortunately, spinal injections may give you the relief you desperately need from this type of pain.

Getting spinal injections involves having anti-inflammatory steroidal compounds — for example, cortisone — injected into your body so that you can experience temporary relief from your chronic pain.

These injections decrease swelling around your nerve, thus easing the irritation there.

Steroid injections may provide more relief than over-the-counter medications. Here’s a rundown of what makes you a candidate for these injections.

Let’s get started!

Candidates for Spinal Injections

You are a candidate for steroid injections if you are struggling with an irritated or compressed nerve.

You may also be eligible for injections if you have a spinal joint that is degenerating, leading to localized pain, tingling, muscle weakness, radiating pain or numbness.

The following conditions can produce such symptoms.

Osteoarthritis

With osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, the cartilage that provides cushion at the top of your bones wears down, thus causing pain and swelling. This condition might also cause bone spurs to develop.

Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis refers to the condition where a vertebra — a bone in your spine — slips, usually at your spine’s base.

Vertebrae can easily slip over a bone, backward or forward as a result of spondylolysis, a fracture or defect of part of a vertebra.

Sciatica

Sciatica is typically characterized by several symptoms, including chronic pain in one leg or buttock, pain that worsens when you’re sitting, or a searing, burning or tingling sensation in your leg.

Other signs you have sciatica include trouble moving your toes, leg, and foot, or even radiating pain that impacts your leg and even your toes and foot.

Herniated Disc

If you have a herniated disc problem, this means one of your discs, or rubbery cushions, between your vertebrae has a problem.

Specifically, the softer part inside the disc pushes out via a tear present in the disc’s tougher exterior.

Herniated discs can easily irritate the surrounding nerves, thus leading to weakness, pain, and numbness.

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Also known as FBSS, this condition generally refers to the condition you face if you’ve undergone an unsuccessful spine surgery or back surgery.

Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon issue, as even with the best surgeon, having a 100% successful result is not always guaranteed.

Spinal Stenosis

This condition refers to the narrowing of your spine’s spaces, which can place pressure on your spine’s nerves. Stenosis usually occurs in the neck and lower back areas.

Although some spinal stenosis sufferers might not have symptoms, others experience muscle weakness, tingling, pain and numbness. And these symptoms could become worse over time.

Before You Get Injections

Before you can receive spinal injections, you typically have to try more conservative, less invasive treatment options first. These include chiropractic manipulation, hot/cold therapy, exercise, and stretching.

Of course, every individual responds to these treatments differently. If they prove not to be effective for you, then you may be eligible to receive injections to manage your back or neck pain.

The injections work by decreasing the inflammation causing you discomfort around the spinal nerve that has become irritated.

Injection Treatment

Steroid injections can be given in multiple areas of the body. One of these areas is your epidural space — the area of the spinal canal that the nerve roots and spinal cord pass through.

Yet another area subjected to these injections is your facet joints — the bones responsible for connecting your vertebrae and allowing them to move.

Finally, the sacroiliac joints — the areas where the pelvis and sacrum meet — also receive injections.

However, getting these injections too often may disrupt your body’s natural hormone balance. That’s because the effects of steroids mirror those of certain hormones that the body produces.

Note that the effects of cortisone do wear off after a while. For this reason, if your doctor determines that you need more than one shot, you’ll likely be limited to three injections over the course of a year.

Also, if you decide to go with injections, it’s recommended that you get them about a month and a half apart.

If a shot is successful, you should be able to tell this within a couple days to five days.

Of course, any relief you experience will be temporary — in other words, the positive effects will last maybe several weeks to a year. But at least you’ll be able to function more normally during this time.

While you’re feeling better, you may want to take part in physical therapy, as this may help you in resolving the underlying problem.

What Happens When Injections Don’t Work?

Unfortunately, sometimes spinal injections aren’t quite enough to manage your debilitating back or neck pain. But don’t worry — there is hope.

In this situation, you may quickly become a candidate for spine surgery that is minimally invasive.

For instance, you may be directed to undergo decompression surgery. This is perfect for anyone with a compressed nerve along his or her spinal cord, which leads to both radiating and local pain.

Another surgery option is stabilization surgery. This procedure is more precise and less invasive than conventional open back fusion surgery.

This procedure involves making a tiny incision in your side or back. Through the incision, your surgeon can remove a diseased vertebra or disc. Then, he or she will insert bone and an implant to give your body immediate pain relief and stability.

Your medical history and MRI results will help your doctor to determine if you’re a candidate for these types of surgeries.

How We Can Help

We offer high-quality spine surgery for patients dealing with severe chronic pain.

We can typically perform surgical procedures in an outpatient setting, so you don’t have to worry about an overnight stay.

In addition, most of our patients are able to go back to work or resume their daily activities in three months.

If spinal injections just aren’t working for you, contact us to find out more about how spine surgery may help you to get your quality of life back.