Is a nerve root injection different than an epidural steroid injection?
A nerve root injection is a transformational epidural steroid injection. An epidural steroid injection is usually an interlaminar (between two vertebrae) approach. With an interlaminar steroid injection the needle is placed to the epidural space typically near the middle of the spinal canal. With an interlaminar approach, a high volume technique is utilized to bathe several nerve roots at several levels. With a nerve root injection, a needle is placed adjacent to the specific nerve root in question with the aid of a x-ray machine to bathe primarily the one specific nerve root. Nerve root injections are most commonly done when one has a lateral herniated disc or foraminal stenosis.
