How Does a Steroid Injection Help a Bulging Disc: All You Need To Know

What's Inside This Article

1. What are Steroid Injections?
2. What Do Experts Say and What are the Risks?
3. How is the Injection Done and How Does it Help with Pain?
4. What are the Treatment Options and How Do You Recover?
5. What Happens in the Long Run and How Often Should You Get Injections?

What are Steroid Injections?

Imagine you have a balloon (this is your disc) that's pushing on a bunch of wires (these are your nerves). This can cause a lot of pain. Now, think of steroid injections as a magical liquid that can make the balloon shrink so it's not pushing on the wires anymore. This helps to take away the pain.

Doctors use a special camera to guide them while they inject this magic liquid into the right spot in your back. This is usually done in a hospital and you might need to do it up to three times to feel better.

Steroids are like super-powered medicines that can reduce swelling and help your body fight off sickness. When they're injected into a joint or muscle, they can help reduce pain and stiffness.

What Do Experts Say and What are the Risks?

Some doctors say things like, "A decompression belt can provide short-term pain relief for patients whose pain is caused by a pinched nerve or bulging disc." Another doctor said, "Cortisone is a type of steroid that can be injected into the space around the herniated disc. The steroid reduces inflammation and can help relieve pain."

But just like any medicine, there are some risks involved with steroid injections. For example, you might feel some pain where the injection was given. Other risks include infection, bleeding, or even nerve damage.

How is the Injection Done and How Does it Help with Pain?

The doctor will use a special camera to guide them while they inject the magic liquid into your back. This usually takes only a few minutes and then you'll be observed for a little while after. Once the injection is done, you should start to feel less pain.

Doctors might recommend these injections if you have chronic (long-lasting) pain. The injections are most effective in providing pain relief from a herniated disk and spinal stenosis.

What are the Treatment Options and How Do You Recover?

There are several ways to treat bulging discs:

• Steroid Injections: These provide immediate relief by reducing inflammation around the affected disc.
• Physical Therapy: This involves exercises that strengthen muscles around the disc and improve mobility.
• Medication: Over-the-counter pain relievers may alleviate mild pain due to a bulging disk.

One treatment option that stands out is our Decompression Belt. It's designed to provide spinal decompression therapy at home. By creating traction force along your spine, it helps reduce pressure on your discs.

After an injection, you might need up to 14 days to see how well it worked. The effects of a steroid injection can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

What Happens in the Long Run and How Often Should You Get Injections?

While it’s very rare, complications from receiving an epidural steroid injection can have long-term consequences, including: Permanent neurologic deficit due to spinal cord or nerve root damage from the epidural injection. Chronic pain due to spinal cord or nerve root damage from the epidural injection.

The duration of effect of steroid injections for disc bulge depends on how well you respond to treatment. For patients with a new disc herniation who respond favorably, epidural steroid injections can help resolve pain permanently.

Epidural steroid injections are recommended to be administered up to three to six times per year. In some cases, injections may be only weeks apart with a goal of quick and complete resolution of symptoms.