What are epidural steroid injections? Why are they used?
Epidural steroid injection is a term applying to a variety of techniques performed to deliver corticosteroid medication around a nerve coming out from the spinal cord in an epidural space. This epidural space is the space between the dural sac – which surrounds the spinal cord and exiting spinal nerves – and the boney spinal column. This is the space into which disc material can potentially herniate (jut out unnaturally) and cause pressure and inflammation around spinal nerves. Corticosteroids are medications that have strong anti-inflammatory properties, and spinal injections of corticosteroids significantly reduce inflammation around an irritated nerve that is causing pain and discomfort.
