Epidural injections is an integral part of non-surgical management of low back pain, and an epidural injection is typically used to alleviate chronic low back and/or leg pain. While the effects of the injection tend to be temporary - providing relief from pain for one week up to one year - an epidural can be very beneficial for patients during an episode of severe back pain. Importantly, it can provide sufficient pain relief to allow the patient to progress with their rehabilitation program.
An epidural is an injection that delivers medication directly into the epidural space in the spine. Sometimes a flushing solution (either lidocaine or normal saline) is also used to help “flush out” inflammatory proteins from around the area that may be the source of pain.
The epidural space is the space between the dura mater (a membrane) and the vertebral wall and is filled with fat and small blood vessels. It is located just outside the dural sac. The dural sac surrounds the nerve roots and cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that the nerve roots are bathed in).
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