Adverse effects of back pain injections: What do they entail?
Spinal injections have become a common treatment option for managing back pain, but it's essential to understand their success rates, risks, and procedures. These injections can vary significantly depending on the type of steroid a doctor uses, the underlying cause of the pain, where the needle is placed, and the individual's overall health.
Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI) are commonly used for radicular pain, such as from disc herniation. Success rates with at least 50% pain reduction are approximately 63% at one month, 74% at three months, and around 64% at six months to one year. While risks include infection, bleeding, nerve injury, and rare systemic steroid effects, serious complications are uncommon.
Nerve block injections are used diagnostically and therapeutically in various spinal pain syndromes. For instance, CT-guided pars injections in lumbar spondylolysis patients showed about 42% success (≥50% pain relief) at 15 minutes and 55% at one month post-injection. Risks are similar to epidurals, but they are generally considered low with imaging guidance.
Discography is primarily a diagnostic procedure involving injection into the intervertebral disc to identify painful discs. Its therapeutic success is less clear, and it carries risks like disc infection, acceleration of disc degeneration, and pain exacerbation. Given the higher potential risks, discography is less favored and used mainly for diagnostic purposes rather than therapy.
It's crucial to note that spinal injections are typically safe, but they do carry risks of side effects and complications. Some people may not experience noticeable side effects after a spinal injection. However, potential side effects can include bleeding, nerve injury, infection, inflammation of the arachnoid membrane, spinal headache, increased pain, muscle weakness, itchy skin, low blood pressure, slowed breathing, loss of bladder control, fever, flushed chest or face, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, changes in the menstrual cycle, diarrhea, nausea, temporary increase in blood sugar, severe breathing difficulty, nerve damage, prolonged numbness, abscesses, bleeding, allergic reaction, adrenal suppression, epidural bruising, infection, spinal headache, pain in the lower limbs or back, and paralysis.
After a procedure, it's essential to rest for a few hours according to the doctor's instructions and report any pain, bleeding, or other side effects. A person should also contact a doctor or seek emergency medical attention if they experience new or worse pain, convulsions, severe headache, signs of infection, weakness or numbness in the legs or buttocks, or loss of bladder or bowel control.
In summary, epidural steroid injections have moderate success rates for radicular pain with acceptable low risks, nerve blocks can provide diagnostic and reasonable short-term therapeutic relief especially when targeted correctly, and discography carries higher procedural risks and less clear benefit as a treatment. Accurate patient selection and imaging guidance improve safety and outcomes.
Provocation discography is not used often and is typically only administered when considering surgery to treat lower back pain. A discography triggers pain to help doctors detect the source of discomfort. A nerve block spinal injection is used to treat acute or chronic pain that may originate in the spine and radiate to other areas.
As with any medical procedure, it's essential to discuss the risks, benefits, and alternatives with your healthcare provider before undergoing a spinal injection.
- Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI) can offer approximately 63% pain reduction for radicular pain within a month, suggesting potential for effective pain management.
- Nerve block injections, used for various spinal pain syndromes, show around 55% success rate in providing pain relief after one month.
- The success of discography as a therapeutic procedure is unclear, but it can help identify painful discs, especially before considering surgery for lower back pain.
- CBD, a health and wellness product often used as an alternative to traditional pain management therapies and treatments, has shown potential in managing chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease and back pain.
- Fitness and exercise, in combination with medical-conditions management, can aid in reducing pain associated with chronic diseases and improving overall health.
- When comparing spinal injections with therapies and treatments like CBD, it's crucial to discuss the associated risks, benefits, and alternatives with a healthcare provider to make informed decisions about pain management.
