Up to four epidural steroid injections per spinal region in a rolling 12 months is the commonly cited Medicare utilization ceiling, with repeat sessions generally spaced two to four weeks apart and always individualized to documented response. That ceiling answers the coverage question, but it doesn't tell a patient whether another injection is clinically worthwhile, … Read more
A patient sits in the recovery area after a lumbar epidural steroid injection, relieved that the procedure is over but uncertain about a heavy-feeling leg and soreness in the lower back. Another patient is at home the night before treatment, reading the consent form and wondering whether the frightening complications listed there are likely to … Read more
Maria is 52, and the pain started while lifting groceries. A sharp line travels from her lower back into her right calf, making sleep difficult and turning every step into a calculation. After six weeks of activity changes, medication, and conservative care, her physician discusses an epidural steroid injection, not as a promise to erase … Read more
Epidural steroid injections aren't pain-free, but the discomfort is usually brief and limited to the skin prick and pressure during needle placement, followed by mild soreness for a day or two. In a 2011 study, increased pain occurred in 1.1% of injections, while pain at the injection site occurred in 0.33% of injections. The study … Read more