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Epidural Steroid Injections
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What are the risks of the procedure?
The main risk that occurs at a rate of approximately 1/100 is the risk of a dural puncture. (This rate is higher in patients who have had previous back surgery). A dural puncture occurs when the needle is unintentionally advanced one layer beyond the epidural space and punctures the membrane that surrounds spinal fluid. If this occurs there is a risk of developing a spinal headache, which may be severe and may last for days. There is a procedure (epidural blood patch) that can treat the headache if it occurs and does not improve sufficiently in 48 hours.
Other risks are remote but include bleeding, infection, nerve injury and allergic reaction to the medication.
Some short-term side effects may occur. If local anesthetic spreads to nearby nerves you may have weakness or numbness that can last for 1 - 2 hours. If this happens you will have to stay in the Pain Management Center until this resolves. You may have increased pain for a few days after the injection. Diabetics may have short-term elevation of blood sugars. People prone to fluid retention may have increased fluid retention for 1 -2 weeks.
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