An epidural steroid injection is a minimally invasive procedure that delivers steroids via a needle directly into the epidural space to help reduce inflammation. The injection may consist of steroids that inhibit the production of painful inflammatory substances and/or a lidocaine or saline solution to help flush out inflammatory proteins from around the affected area.
A cervical, thoracic or lumbar facet joint injection involves injecting a small amount of local anesthetic (numbing agent) and/or steroid medication, which can anesthetize the facet joints and block the pain. The pain relief from a facet joint injection is intended to help a patient better tolerate a physical therapy routine to rehabilitate his or her injury or back condition.
Nerve blocks are used for pain treatment and management. Often a group of nerves, called a plexus or ganglion, that causes pain to a specific organ or body region can be blocked with the injection of medication into a specific area of the body. The injection of this nerve-numbing substance is called a nerve block.