Epidural Injection Treatment by Pain Specialists at Mercy in Baltimore

Patients with back pain due to a herniated disc or spinal stenosis seek the advice of our doctors at The Center for Interventional Pain Medicine at Mercy. Our pain medicine experts work closely with Mercy's orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons to develop treatment plans for patients with back pain.

What is an Epidural Injection?

An epidural injection is one of the most common and useful treatments available in the modern interventional pain clinic. The epidural space, an area of the spinal canal, allows access to the spinal cord and nerve roots at every level of the spine. Epidural injections provide a safe, low-risk, nearly painless means of delivering a variety of medications directly to the nervous system.

How does an Epidural Injection work?

Delivered into the epidural space, these medications may block pain impulses, stabilize irritated nerve structures, reduce inflammation and swelling, and reverse the biochemical changes that may occur within the nervous system when pain persists.

Who should receive an Epidural Injection?

Epidural therapy is an effective treatment for many painful conditions including intervertebral disc injury, sciatica, acute herpes zoster, post-herpetic neuralgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, cancer pain, and post-surgical pain. It also is used as an adjunct to noninvasive therapy and may allow the patient to participate more fully in physical therapies and comprehensive rehabilitation programs.