Back pain is a common complaint, but the cause of back pain is often complex and personal. Some bouts of back pain vanish on their own, but when you suffer from back pain for three months or longer, it’s become a chronic condition.
Finding relief that works isn’t always easy. Everyone experiences pain differently, and the treatments that work for some don’t always work for others.
When your back pain gets in the way of your daily life, trust our back pain experts at Manhattan Orthopedics. Our team offers comprehensive back pain evaluations, and we’re here to help you find the relief you need from your pain.
Many types of back pain resolve on their own with time. But ongoing back pain could be a sign of a condition like spinal stenosis, disc degeneration, a herniated disc, or something else. If you suffer from chronic back pain, it’s important to learn about your treatment options.
To evaluate back pain, our team starts with a comprehensive exam. We review your symptoms and medical history, and we may perform additional testing like an MRI or X-rays. Once the cause of your pain is identified, we develop a personalized treatment plan to meet your needs.
We generally recommend noninvasive treatments first, which can include physical therapy and pain medication. If these treatments don’t make a difference, it might be time to consider the benefits of epidural steroid injections.
Epidural injections contain corticosteroids that target inflammation in the spine to reduce pain. These injections are particularly effective for conditions like:
Epidural injections are a good option for patients who haven’t found adequate pain relief with physical therapy, medications, or other noninvasive treatments, but who aren’t ready to consider surgery for their back pain.
Epidural injections could be a good option for you if your back pain is caused by inflammation and nerve irritation. The steroid medication in the injection reduces inflammation, and many epidural injections also contain an anesthetic to minimize pain.
Our team injects the medication into the area of your back that’s causing pain. The procedure takes just a few minutes in the office, and there are very few risks. The anesthetic begins working immediately, and the effects of the steroid develop in the following days.
Epidural injections offer temporary relief from back pain. Many patients report pain relief that lasts for months following an injection. Talk to our team to learn more about how epidural injections work and how long you can expect the effects to last.
If you think it might be time to try epidural injections for your back pain, book a consultation at Manhattan Orthopedics. Book online or call one of our offices in Midtown Manhattan or Astoria, New York. We can help you find relief from your back pain so you can get back to living your life.
