Epidural Steroid Injections Treat Low Back Pain

Epidural steroid injections involve a solution that is injected into the epidural space in the spine. The epidural space surrounds the dural sac, which contains the spinal cord, nerve roots, and the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the nerve roots.

The solution typically includes:

• A steroid, or cortisone, that acts as an anti-inflammatory, since reducing inflammation frequently reduces pain.
• A local anesthetic that serves to temporarily reduce pain and also to flush out any naturally occurring chemicals that may be causing the inflammation.

Steroids inhibit the inflammation caused by chemical and mechanical sources of pain. They also reduce the immune system’s natural inflammatory response to nerve or tissue damage, which is to generate white blood cells and chemicals to protect the body from infection, bacteria, and viruses. Reducing this inflammation can reduce the associated pain.