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Tell Me About My Spine Injection
If you are scheduled for an epidural steroid injection with me (or any other spine injection under fluorscopy in the OR) please read carefully and I hope some of your questions will be answered.
If you have been having pain running down your leg from lumbar spine arthritis, lumbar disk herniation or spinal stenosis we might have scheduled an injection. I also sometimes do injections into the sacroiliac joint.
Injection of cortisone into the spine is a procedure to be done with respect and caution. The choice to do so is based upon your ability to perform or not perform your spine exercises. The goal is to reduce pain to allow you to do your exercises more completely as this is the long-term solution. Surgery is an option after exhausting all other options.
The informed consent sheet that I have given you includes a very clear discussion of risks and benefits.
I rarely need to put an IV in anyone to do the injection, and I use a local skin injection for anesthesia. Please discuss with me any concerns you might have long before the day of your injection so I can reassure you and answer all your questions.
I clean the skin with an iodine based medicine, so please notify me if your skin is sensitive or if you are allergic to iodine (food allergy to shellfish!).
Remember to make sure you have told me every medicine you are on whether it was given by your doctor or it is over the counter(this includes vitamins/herbs).
All blood thinners must be discontinued!
If you are on Coumadin/Warfarin, your primary care doctor will need to make arrangements to discuss with you the risks and benefits of stopping this medicine prior to my injection. You may begin your Coumadin/Warfarin after your injection under the direction of the Coumadin/Warfarin clinic.
If you are on Plavix, your primary care doctor will need to have a similar discussion with you. Labwork prior to injection will be necessary for patients who have stopped Coumadin/Warfarin or Plavix.
If you are on aspirin-or any product containing aspirin (read those labels), you will need to discontinue them for 7 days.
You will need to stop your ''anti-inflammatories''......motrin, ibuprofen, naprosyn, feldene, relefan, etc for 3 days prior to your injection.
You can resume aspirin and your anti-inflammatories immediately after your injection.
Do not stop any other medicines including your pain medicines.
Eat well the day of the injection.
Please read the handout I have given you regarding how to prepare for your injection and what to expect afterwards. It answers many questions.
Please remember to register in hospital admitting at least 15 minutes prior to our scheduled appointment time.
You may need a ride to and from the injection if it is your first injection with me or if I tell you in advance.
You can resume physical therapy within 5-7 days.
We can negotiate any other activity you want to do, but my rule of thumb is ''nothing heavier than a bag of groceries'' until we do our post-injection telephone visit at about 14 days post-injection.
The decision as to do more injections is evaluated patient by patient.
We usually limit epidural injections to 3 in a 12 month period.
My staff will call you the week of the injection to confirm our appointment.
Please read these links as they have some very clear information regarding the reasons that I might be performing an injection on you.
Consent and Instructions for Spine Injections
- Please see the two files below.
- Here you will see the same consent and instructions sheets that I use for spine injections.
- Please read them carefully.
- If necessary print and read.
- Please bring your consent and follow the instructions for your spine procedure.
- The goal is to get the most out of the injections so that you can rehabilitate your spine problem.
Link(s):
What Does a Lumbar Herniated Disk Look Like?
About Lumbar Herniated Disks/One of the Reasons We Do Epidural Injections
About Lumbar Spinal Stenosis/Another Reason I Might Do an Epidural Steroid Injection
Additional File(s):
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