Epidural Steroid Injections
Anesthesiologist and Pain Management Physician located in Bangor, ME
Do you struggle with ongoing neck, back, arm, or leg pain caused by inflamed spinal nerves? If so, turn to experienced pain management and anesthesiology specialist Ammar Mahmoud, MD, in Bangor, Maine. He offers epidural steroid injections to reduce inflammation and troublesome discomfort. Call his office to schedule an evaluation or use the online booking feature today.
Epidural steroid injections are minimally invasive procedures that help reduce pain in your back, neck, arms, or legs due to inflamed spinal nerves. Common causes of this type of pain include disc herniation and spinal stenosis (narrowing of your spinal canal).
During epidural steroid injections, Dr. Mahmoud injects medicines into the epidural space between the bone and protective sac surrounding nerve roots and your spinal cord. He injects the steroid to reduce inflammation and an anesthetic to numb the treated areas. These injections may make it possible for you to resume normal, everyday activities without discomfort.
Dr. Mahmoud lets you know if you’re a candidate for epidural steroid injections after discussing your medical history, lifestyle, and symptoms. If you have neck, back, arm, leg, or sciatica discomfort due to spinal nerve compression, epidural steroid injections may be the solution.
You might be a candidate for the procedure because of the following:
Dr. Mahmoud may suggest epidural steroid injections and physical therapy to ease your discomfort.
To prepare to undergo epidural steroid injections, you might need to stop taking certain medications as directed by Dr. Mahmoud. Make arrangements for someone to drive you home after receiving such injections.
The process of undergoing epidural steroid injections may last 15-45 minutes, along with a period of recovery. You lie on an X-ray table while Dr. Mahmoud uses a local anesthetic to numb the treatment area and offers a sedative to help you relax. You might receive a contrast dye to make images on the X-rays easier to see.
Under fluoroscopic X-ray guidance, he inserts a needle into the epidural space in your spine and injects medicine into that space. You might receive more than one injection during the same procedure.
After epidural steroid injections, you can likely walk around right away. After a period of being monitored for a short time, have a family member or friend drive you home.
Expect temporary leg numbness, weakness, and soreness around the injection site, but you can usually resume normal activities the following day. Ice the treated areas as needed and see Dr. Mahmoud for follow-up visits. He may suggest more than one injection spaced apart over time to achieve superior results, along with physical therapy sessions.
To learn more about epidural steroid injections with Ammar Mahmoud, MD, call his office or schedule an appointment online today.