More Americans are living with chronic pain than ever before. If you have chronic pain in Houston, you should visit Hui Kang, MD.

One of the solutions to chronic pain is to get an epidural injection. They are growing increasingly popular today due to their benefits and convenience.

The epidural injection includes a combination of a numbing anesthetic and a steroid known as cortisone. The injection is delivered to the area around your spinal cord known as the epidural space, hence the name.

There are benefits and downsides to using epidural injections for back pain relief including:

Pros

Pain Relief

You will get both short term and long-term pain relief when you get an epidural injection. The anesthetic will cause numbness which should offer temporary pain relief usually in ten to twenty minutes.

When the cortisone takes effect in a week or so, the inflammation and irritation causing your back pain will slowly diminish. Therefore, in the long run, your back should feel better.

Relaxation

Some pain relief solutions such as pain medication may relieve your pain but also lead to some agitation. That is not the case with an epidural injection.

You can relax as the pain goes away due to the numbing anesthetic. You have a more positive experience of back pain relief with an epidural injection than other methods of pain relief.

Treats Many Issues

Back pain is often caused by a single factor like a herniated disc or spinal stenosis. However, in some cases, it may be caused by multiple causes.

In such cases, an epidural injection is great as it helps alleviate a wide variety of back pain causes. It is especially effective for the more acute forms of back pain.

Cons

Weakens Spinal Bones and Muscles

An epidural injection is only done a few times a year and no more. The reason is that the injection might weaken your spinal muscles and bones.

The needle is not the cause of the weakened muscles but the steroids in the injection. Steroids weaken muscles and bones if used in high amounts.

Hormonal Imbalance

The constituents of an epidural injection vary from case to case. Depending on the injection, an epidural may cause a hormonal imbalance in your body.

Your hormones are vital to the proper functioning of your body processes. When they are out of balance, you become prone to moodiness, insomnia, and indigestion among other disorders.

A hormonal imbalance may lead to a loss of skin color. Urination may also become an issue in some cases.

Low Blood Pressure

Your blood pressure is immensely important to your health. Both too high and too low blood pressure negatively affects your health.

One of the side effects of an epidural injection is lower blood pressure. Lower blood pressure may necessitate some medication.

Nerve Damage

The worst-case scenario when it comes to epidural injections is if the injection is done incorrectly and leads to nerve damage. That can happen if the needle or catheter breaks when receiving the injection.

When there is bleeding or infection of the epidural space, nerve damage can be permanent.