Corticosteroid Injections and Lower Back Pain
Corticosteroid injections are one of the interventional pain management tools that the doctors at Specialty Surgical Center use to reduce lower back pain.
What is it?
The adrenal gland, which is located on top of the kidneys, produces hormones like cortisol. Cortisol controls how our body handles both physical and mental stress, but it also helps fight inflammation to our bodies. When your adrenal gland is under stress, one symptom that may arise is lower back pain. So when the adrenal gland does not produce enough cortisol when it is under stress, corticosteroid injections are used to mimic cortisol and treat lower back pain.
How the procedure is done
After the patient is given an anesthetic, a patient is given an injection into or around a patient’s back joints. It is just like having an injection in your arm that you may be more used to. This may provide the patient with a fast way of reducing inflammation for months or potentially years. Our doctors recommend using ice on the injection spot if a patient is sore over the next two days after the procedure. It will be up to your doctor at Specialty Surgical Center to discuss how often you need to have a corticosteroid injection.
Who should consider one?
If you have any of these conditions, talk to your doctor to see if he or she recommends using corticosteroid injections as a form of treatment. Here are just a few examples of the types of patients who might consider the procedure.
- Osteoarthritis patients – If osteoporosis is affecting the joints in your lower back and hip, it can be difficult to move around pain free. A corticosteroid injection can make an osteoarthritis patient feel less stiff by reducing inflammation.
- Tendinitis – Like osteoarthritis, people can have tendinitis anywhere in their bodies. A person who has tendinitis in their lower back may be a great candidate for corticosteroid injections because of the tight muscles caused by tendinitis. Instead of injecting the corticosteroid into the joints, it is injected directly into a patient’s tendons.
- People with muscle injuries – From athletes to people who move heavy objects, anyone can injure their lower back with a muscle injury. While a corticosteroid injection is not recommended for someone with a new injury, it can be considered for someone with a muscle injury who is in chronic pain and has suffered from the injury for a long time.
Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.
For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.