Pain Care

This is the injection of inflammation reducing medication (steroid) directly into the epidural space that is between your spine and spinal cord. Precisely placing this medication in the area of the back or neck where you are experiencing pain can help reduce inflammation. This a safe and effective procedure that can help relieve pain from conditions that affect the nerves extending from spinal column, such as spinal disk degeneration, spinal stenosis and osteoarthritis and sciatica. This pain relief can last several weeks to a few months, although some patients experience little to no pain relieve.

Using digital X-ray as guidance, a Steel Anesthesia CRNA will carefully place a thin needle into the epidural space and precisely administer local anesthetic and steroid medication into the area of the back or neck where you are having pain. The local anesthetic often works to provide immediate very short-term relief. The role of the steroid medication is to gradually reduce pain causing inflammation in the treatment area. For many patients, epidural steroid injections provide effective pain relief. Unfortunately, there are some cases in which this procedure provides very little or no pain relief and this cannot be predicted.

A referral from the physician whom you have seen for evaluation of your back or neck pain is required to schedule for an epidural steroid injection at Fry Eye Associates. Because we are an outpatient surgery center, we do not diagnose or make treatment recommendations. We only carry out the treatment recommendations by a referring physician.

After receiving a referral and the required medical records from your physician, we will contact you to verify your information and health history and work to get insurance treatment authorization. After your insurance authorizes treatment, we will schedule your injection, provide detailed instructions for the procedure and answer any questions you may have.

At your appointment, you’ll meet with the CRNA who will be performing the injection for evaluation and discussion of your symptoms. Our team will provide you with detailed care instructions for after your epidural steroid injection and get you ready for the procedure. The procedure will be done in operating room.