Epidural & Facet Joint Injections Delray Beach
Targeted Injections for Powerful Pain Relief
Back pain is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal problems among U.S. adults. It can have a broad range of causes, and it can affect virtually anyone. How can you find powerful pain relief that lets you get back to living your life? There is no one-size-fits-all solution for back pain. Fortunately, though, our expert non-surgical orthopedic team in Delray Beach offers several treatments that have the potential to help. After a thorough examination, we might recommend that you receive epidural injections or facet joint injections.
What Are Epidural Injections?
An epidural injection may also be called an epidural steroid injection or ESI. During this treatment, we carefully deliver a corticosteroid medication into the epidural space, which is just outside the dura (the protective membrane around the spinal cord). The medications we use have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, so they can greatly reduce the pain of irritated, compressed, and inflamed nerves. (It is important to note that an ESI cannot actually “unpinch” a compressed nerve, but it can be used for pain relief.)
Beyond being a suitable pain management technique for pinched nerves, epidural steroid injections may also be used in certain cases to reduce the discomfort of issues like herniated discs, osteoarthritis, and spinal stenosis.
How long the results of your ESI last will depend on your unique body. Some patients experience relief that lasts for weeks or months. Others enjoy longer benefits that stretch for up to a full year.
What Are Facet Joint Injections?
Your facet joints are the small joints throughout your spine that allow for movement. Nerve roots travel through these joints, meaning that they can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort when the surrounding tissues are inflamed or damaged.
To help you break free of that pain, we might suggest that you receive facet joint injections in our Delray Beach office. During this treatment, we administer local anesthetic into the joints. This is a common way to address the pain of arthritis and facet joint syndrome.
Many patients find that the results of their facet joint injections last for a few weeks to several months; some patients enjoy relief that lasts even longer.
Which Type of Injection Is Right for Me?
ESIs and facet joint injections can both help with back pain, but they are used in different situations. The one that is best for you will depend on the cause of your pain. Our team will have to examine you before we recommend any sort of treatment.
Basically, if your pain is related to your facet joints, facet joint injections may be best for you. ESIs are more suited to other conditions, such as nerve compression or inflammation. If your back pain is particularly complex, you might be a candidate for both types of injections.
A few simple injections may help you find freedom from back pain! Contact our Delray Beach team today to learn more or to request a consultation.
