Do you experience chronic pain in your neck, back, arms, legs, or shoulders? Well, worry no more because the Rio Grande Pain Team specializes in epidural steroid injection in McAllen. The injections provide a minimally invasive form of pain treatment and are only administered to affected sites. Dennis Slavin, MD, a pain specialist at the Rio Grande Pain Team, will ensure short-term and long-term solutions for your pain relief.
About The Rio Grande Pain Team
Centered on the tenet of assisting patients in getting relief from severe and chronic pain, the Rio Grande Pain Team is the answer to the pain you experience in the shoulders, arms, legs, back, and neck. The practice serves people in the Weslaco area of Texas.
At the Rio Grande pain Team, the professionals are led by Dennis Slavin, MD, and Rosabel Gonzalez, PA. They provide quality and effective treatment against chronic pain using epidural steroid injection. Call or book an appointment online with the Rio Grande Pain Team online platform to get the pain relief that conventional medicine finds difficult to alleviate.
What You Need To Know About Epidural Steroid Injection
Epidural steroid injections contain chemicals that copy the functions of the hormone cortisone and hydrocortisone in relieving pain in the body. The substances in epidural steroid injections include;
1. Corticosteroid
2. Local anesthesia e.g., lidocaine
The administration of epidural steroid injection is done by injecting the medicine into the spine's epidural space, which surrounds the affected nerves. The medication injected into the epidural space then spreads to the affected nerves surrounding them with potent pain-relieving agents that are anti-inflammatory, corticosteroid, and local anesthesia.
The local anesthesia, lidocaine, in most cases, is used to relieve pain quickly but temporarily. In contrast, the corticosteroid is used to relieve pain in the long-term due to its anti-inflammatory effect.
5 Conditions Warranting The Administration Of Epidural Steroid Injection
If you experience prolonged pain in your neck, back, shoulders, legs, arms, etc., then you might consider undertaking treatment at the Rio Grande Pain Team. Dr. Slavin will give you an epidural steroid injection to provide you with short term and long term pain relief.
Common conditions that may require epidural steroid injections include;
1. Herniated discs which rupture due to weak areas in the surrounding walls.
2. Spondylolisthesis which involves fractures between joints
3. Spinal stenosis; narrowing of the spinal canal
4. Degenerative disc disease that may lead to bone spurs
5. Sciatica which causes pain down the leg due to pressure on the sciatic nerve.
4 First-Line Treatments For Back And Neck Pain Before Considering ESI
Before going for the epidural steroid injection, you may consider the interventions below;
1. Therapeutic massage
2. Physical therapy
3. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
4. Exercise
What To Expect During Epidural Steroid Injections
The procedure is undertaken in an office that is conducive and ensures you get maximum attention from the Rio Grande Pain Team.
The procedure is image-guided using fluoroscopy, a form of x-ray that is viewed continuously in real-time. Using fluoroscopy, Dr. Slavin can inject the medication into the epidural space accurately, hence targeting the specifically affected nerves.
Usually when the procedure starts, you are asked to lie on your stomach so that the affected sites are injected with local anesthesia. After the injected area is numb, Dr. Slavin injects a dye into the epidural space so that he can see the needle while administering the epidural steroid injection.
Call Dr. Slavin or book an appointment online to get the best minimally invasive treatment for chronic pain so you can go back to your typical day to day activities.
