Back pain is often caused by spinal problems. It can be a mere nuisance or debilitating, depending on the exact condition or injury, as well as its severity. If you are looking for an effective treatment solution for your chronic spinal pain, consider speaking with an orthopedic doctor about steroid injections. This treatment has helped many people suffering from chronic back pain find much-needed relief.
Let’s take a closer look at what steroid injections are and how this treatment may help you.
What Are Steroid Injections?
A steroid injection consists of a medication that reduces inflammation at the injection site. Steroids are similar to the naturally occurring hormone called cortisol, which is made in the adrenal gland and plays a role in stress response.
In order to get a steroid injection, your doctor injects the medication into the site of the pain. This treatment can be administered in the knee, shoulder, hip, wrist, or spine. Doctors may also recommend steroid injections for metastatic bone pain, which is pain caused by cancer that has spread to bones from another location. Steroids are also beneficial if you have nerve pain and may help with symptoms associated with conditions like arthritis and repetitive stress injuries, among other issues.
Long Term Pain Relief
Many patients are tired of taking oral pain medications because they offer only temporary relief and come with a host of side effects. Moreover, most people’s bodies become desensitized to oral pain relievers and require stronger medications over time. Most medications no longer work when chronic conditions worsen, causing patients to seek addictive and extremely strong pain relievers that come with severe side effects.
For those patients who have chronic conditions and don’t want to rely on oral medications every day, steroid injections can offer longer and better relief. Most patients get steroid injections every few months. This significantly reduces the need for daily pain relievers. Once a few months pass by, patients will experience higher levels of pain, signaling that it’s time to get another injection.
Spinal Pain Relief With Steroid Injections
Your practitioner may recommend steroid injections for joint pain in the back. Some of the conditions steroid injections can treat are sciatica, tendonitis, and bursitis.
The spine consists of facet joints, which are where the backbones meet one another. If the rubbery discs between the joints malfunction, you can experience pain. Your pain management specialist can combat chronic spinal pain by administering steroid injections into the facet joints.
Alternatively, your doctor may choose to inject the steroids into your epidural space, because this is the region surrounding that spinal cord that houses the nerve roots. This is often recommended for those with sciatica.
Steroid Injections in Rochester Hills, MI
Dr. Ahlgren recognizes that patients are unique, and that’s why he treats every patient with extreme detail, focus, and a customized treatment approach. After a thorough review of your symptoms, diagnostic tests, and a review of your health history and lifestyle, you will receive a diagnosis and treatment recommendation that is best suited for you.
To discuss the right course of action for your chronic spinal pain, contact Ahlgren Spine, serving Rochester Hills and the surrounding areas. Call (248) 289-8080 to make an appointment or use our online appointment booking tool.
