If you have back pain that is interfering with your quality of life, an orthopedist is your best bet in alleviating the pain on a long-term basis. Whereas oral medications can provide temporary pain relief, injection treatment that is administered by a physician can subdue the pain for weeks or even months at a time.
Pain-relief injection treatment usually involves steroid medicine, and this can help to quell things like herniated disc pain and nerve pain. Your doctor may recommend steroid injections as a less-invasive alternative to back surgery.
Let’s talk about some of the major benefits of having steroid injections for back pain relief, and where you can go for an evaluation and treatment by an experienced spine doctor.
Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers Aren’t Working Well Enough
With a steroid injection to treat your back pain, your spine surgeon will likely administer a combination of a numbing agent and a steroid into a specific spot in your spine. It works by relieving inflammation and stifling the pain messages between your nerves and your brain. You will be able to move much more easily and without the stiffness in your back.
You Need Relief Now
If your back pain is driving you crazy or making you feel depressed, steroid injections can provide pain relief almost instantly. It may take a few days for you to notice the full effects of the injection, but your back will start to feel better even before you walk out of the doctor’s office.
You Desire Pain Relief for a Prolonged Period of Time
Taking pain-relief pills can cause damage to your liver or your stomach if you take too many of them for too long, and indeed they usually need to be taken every four, six, 12, or 24 hours. However, steroid injections work on a continuous basis, and they can last for many weeks before you have to return to your spine doctor for a follow-up injection.
You Don’t Want to Have Back Surgery
With steroid injections – which are minimally invasive and do not involve incisions but rather only shots – you achieve pain relief without having to have back surgery. This means you will not have to contend with downtime from work or other activities as you would with spine surgery, and injections are also less risky.
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon in Rochester Hills, MI
Here at Ahlgren Spine, our own Dr. Bradley Ahlgren will evaluate your back pain, determine its cause, and explain your options insofar as a treatment that will work for you. He has many years of successful experience in administering steroid injections to treat back pain for his patients.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Ahlgren, contact our friendly staff today by calling us at (248) 215-8080 or by filling out our easy-to-use appointment request form online now. We have convenient locations in Rochester Hills, Bad Axe, and Royal Oak, and we look forward to helping you enjoy a pain-free lifestyle once again!
