How long do cervical epidural steroid injections last?
The steroid medicine in the injection should start to help your pain in 1 to 5 days. Steroids don’t always work. When they do work, the pain relief can last for several days to a few months or longer. Your injection may also have included a numbing medicine that works right away for a short time.
Are you sedated for cervical epidural steroid injection?
The vast majority of patients do not require sedation for the procedure; however, we will provide light sedation (Valium) for the procedure at your request. Patients who are receiving sedation must have a responsible adult with them to drive them home.
What can you not do after a cervical epidural steroid injection?
Do not drive within 12 hours of receiving your epidural injection. Do not apply heat right to the injection site for at least three days following the epidural. This includes steam rooms, saunas, and hot packs, but your regular shower is safe.
What should I expect after an epidural in my neck?
What can you expect after a cervical epidural steroid injection? If your injection included local anesthetic medicine, your neck, shoulder, arm, or hand may feel heavy or numb right after the shot. With a local anesthetic, your pain may be gone right away. But it may return after a few hours.
What happens if cervical epidural doesn’t work?
Doctors can often recommend other options that may relieve pain, though these can be dangerous too – they may prescribe opioids, a highly addictive pain medication, for example. Back surgery is rare, but some patients may face a surgical option if all other conventional treatments have failed.
How do you prepare for a cervical epidural steroid injection?
On the day of your appointment, please refrain from eating or drinking 4 hours prior to your appointment time. You may eat and drink immediately following your injection. If you take routine medications, you may take these on the day of your injection as scheduled with a small sip of water.
How do you feel after a cervical epidural?
Are epidurals in the neck Safe?
While an epidural steroid injection is generally considered a low-risk procedure when performed by a qualified medical professional, risks and complications may include: Nerve damage. Bleeding. Infection.
How do you prepare for a cervical epidural?
How do you prepare for the procedure?
- Be sure you have someone to take you home.
- Understand exactly what procedure is planned, along with the risks, benefits, and other options.
- If you take aspirin or some other blood thinner, ask your doctor if you should stop taking it before your procedure.
Do they put you to sleep for cervical epidural?
You may get medicine that relaxes you or puts you in a light sleep. The area being worked on will be numb. The procedure will take 5 to 15 minutes. You will go home about an hour later.
What are the side effects of cervical steroid injection?
Possible side effects associated with cervical steroid injections include: Direct trauma to the nerve tissue from the injection needle, resulting in nerve damage. Bleeding (common among bleeding disorder patients) Infection. Dural puncture from the injection needle.
What to expect after a cervical epidural injection?
You will likely feel pain relief after the procedure because of the anesthetic used before the cervical epidural. After the numbing wears off, it is common to experience soreness around the site of the injection for up to three days after the procedure.
What are the side effects of cervical injections?
Malpractice and Other Steroid Side Effects. Overall, cervical injections are associated with low complication rates, but possible serious side effects could include spinal-cord infarction, epidural hematoma and respiratory arrest.
Should you get a steroid epidural injection?
If you have intense, difficult-to-treat pain in your legs or arms from inflamed spinal nerves, then an epidural steroid injection might give you quick relief . Often, nerve passages from the spine to your arms or legs become narrowed, causing this pain. This narrowing can cause inflammation of the spinal nerves.
