What are the risks of epidural steroid injections?
The procedure is generally very safe but as with all invasive medical procedures, there are potential risks. The potential risks include the following: Infection. This is rare because these injections are performed under sterile conditions. Minor infections occur in 1% to 2% of all injections. Severe infections are rare, occurring in 0.1% to 0.01% of injections. Bleeding. A rare complication, bleeding is more common for patients with underlying bleeding disorders. An epidural hematoma can form if blood vessels in the epidural space are injured during the procedure. This can be serious if it is big enough to put sufficient pressure on the spinal nerves so that they stop working. Nerve damage. While extremely rare, nerve damage can occur from direct trauma from the needle, or secondarily from infection or bleeding. Dural puncture. This occurs in 0.5% of injections and results in a spinal headache and nausea. A spinal headache occurs when the puncture in the spinal sac fails to seal itsel
