Epidural Steroid Injections for Vehicle Injuries

18 May Epidural Steroid Injections for Vehicle Injuries

Car accidents can lead to a number of injuries, both mild and serious. Even if you’re not feeling pain immediately after a car accident, you should still check in with a doctor or someone who offers physical therapy in Colorado Springs.

These doctors will be able to give you an x-ray or a treatment to help you identify any issues. If you have painful injuries then one of the treatments that you may be offered is called an epidural steroid injection.

This article will explain what an epidural injection is and why you might want to get one as part of your physical therapy in Colorado Springs.

What Is an Epidural Steroid Injection?

An epidural steroid injection, shortened to ESI, is a minimally invasive procedure that can help to prevent pain caused by injuries. These joint injections generally provide relief to injuries that affect the neck, arms, back, or legs.

One of the major purposes of an ESI is to help relieve swelling and inflammation in the affected areas. Your doctor will do this by injecting certain medications into the epidural space, an area that lies between your bones and the nerves of your spine.

ESIs are generally quick procedures. They can be done right in the doctor’s office and don’t take more than a few minutes.

The Epidural Steroid Injection Process

The process is quite simple and you won’t need to prepare much.

First, your doctor will sterilize the area that they’re going to be working with. They will then insert the needle. By using an x-ray to guide the movement of the needle, they will direct it in between your vertebrae into the epidural space.

If you’re struggling with a neck injury, then the needle will likely be injected directly into your neck.

Different injuries will send pain responses through different nerves. Your doctor will know which nerves to supply medication to in order to stop your pain.

Do I Need An Injection?

Epidural steroid injections are generally recommended after or in addition to, more conservative treatments. You may want to get an injection if you’re not seeing the results that you need after trying physical therapy or oral medications. Generally, ESIs are recommended as an alternative to surgery.

ESIs can be useful for treating a wide variety of injuries that result from nerve pain. The spinal cord is where our nerves travel through prior to sending pain signals to your brain. This means that ESIs can be useful for managing just about any physical injury that causes pain through nerve signals.

Are Epidural Injections Safe?

For the most part, epidural injections are quite safe. The FDA has reported that, in rare cases, these procedures can cause unwanted side effects that can be fairly serious. However, the vast majority of treatments provide immediate relief without any side effects aside from slight discomfort at the injection site.

Conclusion

Epidural steroid injections are a minimally invasive treatment that can help to reduce pain and inflammation. If you have been through a vehicle accident then you may want to get in touch with a doctor of physical therapy Colorado Springs.