At Advanced Pain Medical Group in California, we specialize in providing relief for spine, neck, and back pain. Our pain management staff pride themselves on sharing knowledge and hope with our patients. We serve our patients at 8 locations throughout Los Angeles, Kern, and Ventura Counties and are now accepting new patients at our pain treatment clinics.
- What Is An Epidural
- Epidural Nerve Block
- Epidural Injections Manage Pain In Some Conditions
- Benefits Of An Epidural
- Potential Drawbacks Of Epidural
1) What Is An Epidural?
Epidural injections are named for the epidural space just outside the spinal cord’s protective membrane. These injections are most famous for alleviating pain during a woman’s active labor but are also used for pain relief during surgery and for managing chronic pain.
2) Epidural Nerve Block
Anesthesiologists commonly administer these types of anesthesia during surgery to stop pain signals from going to your brain through spinal nerve numbing. Nerve blocks are distributed through a catheter, a small tube placed in your back, and continuously provide the drug during a procedure, so you don’t feel pain in your lower body.
3) Epidural Injections To Manage Pain In These Conditions
In some situations, chronic pain patients can benefit from low-dose epidural injections and consequently don’t have as many side effects. At Advanced Pain Medical Group, many of our patients who benefit significantly from epidural treatment report that they can be more mobile and alert for extended periods, vastly improving their quality of life. This is welcome news for some, considering that this treatment may only take under 20 minutes in some instances at a pain treatment clinic.
Some Conditions Treated By Epidural Shots:
- Spinal Stenosis
- Herniated Disc
- Pinched Nerve
- Spinal Pain
4) Benefits Of An Epidural
An epidural injection can deliver various medications to a patient to address pain or inflammation, for example, in a particular part of the body, including your legs, back, or neck. We can use steroids to help with such situations.
Our medical team would use a dye with the help of x-ray technology to see where to insert the needle at the ideal place between your tail bone/coccyx and the base of your neck, thus finding the right nerve in proximity to your pain. This technique is also helpful for identifying the source of your chronic pain, and we have succeeded with this discovery method.
5) Potential Drawbacks Of Epidural
This injection pain treatment is not without its side effects or risks. Although the injection works reasonably quickly, you may feel more pain before the relief it gives. There is also the potential for less frequent side effects such as headache, weakness, infection, or in some cases, nerve damage. In other instances, you may not be a good candidate for an epidural injection if you already have an infection or uncontrolled diabetes. Some patients have allergies to certain anesthesia drugs, so that they wouldn’t fare well in this instance.
When you speak to us at Advanced Pain Medical Group, let us know if you have blood clotting issues, and we may explore different pain relief and pain management options for you. Complications can happen, but you will rarely experience nerve damage or bleeding into the epidural area. More common side effects are headaches, lower blood pressure, and problems urinating.
Call For An Appointment
Call Advanced Pain Medical Group for an appointment to help with your spine, neck, and back pain. Our pain treatment clinic staff and medical doctors are standing by to help relieve your pain at 8 locations throughout Los Angeles, Kern, and Ventura Counties. We’re accepting new patients now.