Cervical Epidural Steroid Injection

Cervical epidural steroid injection is a treatment for pain in the neck, shoulder, and arm that is caused by the inflammation of nerves serving those areas. The inflammation and pain comes when nerves are compressed, pinched and inflamed by ruptured spinal discs, spine abnormalities, or spinal canal narrowing. This pain will occasionally radiate or shoot to the arms or hands. The inflammation in these nerves can be relieved by placing steroid and numbing medicine (local anesthetic) right next to these nerves in the epidural space. The epidural space is immediately outside the protective membrane (dura) of the spinal cord and nerves. Although one injection may relieve your pain, most patients need the procedure repeated up to three times. Most patients receive added pain relief with every injection. In the procedure, patients are positioned face down on a procedure table. Intravenous medication is given to help relaxation and relieve anxiety. The site is cleaned and injected with numbing medicine (local anesthetic). A needle is then guided into the epidural space using x-ray imaging and the steroid and numbing medicine (local anesthetic) is injected. The procedure takes only a few minutes plus a short recovery period. Patients should be accompanied by someone to drive them home.

Treating pain effectively requires comprehensive and specialized care. The physicians and staff of the UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine offer the latest in pain management techniques, backed by the expertise, knowledge, and research of one of the country’s largest academic medical centers. In both the hospital and the clinic, the needs of each patient are carefully considered, and we design each treatment plan to provide the best possible results.

We understand that relief from pain is critical to recovery. Our approach combines compassionate care with image-guided procedures, physical therapy, psychological assistance, medication, and ongoing consults with your primary care physicians. Our program puts less emphasis on opioid medications and tries to help patients improve their enjoyment of life by focusing on daily exercise, better nutrition, and stress reduction through cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness techniques.

Our innovative physicians and researchers continue to advance the field of pain management with studies that explore new therapies and treatment approaches, which may give patients access to treatments not yet available at most medical centers. We work closely with the departments of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Orthopaedics, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Palliative Care to provide complete care for our patients.

Care Providers

Peter Nagi, MD Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine

Tim Ness, MD, PhD Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine

Roland Short, III, MD Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine

Resources

• Pain Management Services
• Pain Management Clinic
• National Institutes of Health