leg weakness after epidural steroid injection
Today, doctors use epidural injections to help reduce low back pain. If low back pain is bothering you, one of the best treatment options may be to inject a corticosteroid (usually prednisolone) into the peritoneal or epidural membranes. Read on to get acquainted with intra epidural injections. If you are a person who has had corticosteroid injections into the epidural and are now complaining of weakness in your legs, be sure to the article in the following.
Leg weakness after epidural steroid injection.
In the following we will tell you Why you have leg weakness (from the thighs down, or lower limbs) after intra epidermal injection of prednisolone.
What do doctors mean by epidural space?
What does epidural mean?
Around the spinal cord around your spinal cord and around the nerve roots that come out of the spinal cord, called the spinal cord, is the dural sac. The dural sac is the space between the dorsal membrane and the spinal cord.
There is now another space between the spinal cord and the peripheral membrane and the area inside the bony spine, which is called epidural by doctors, and injections of corticosteroids such as prednisolone are done in the same space. In addition, the herniated disc enters the same space.
What does corticosteroid injection or steroids do in the epidural?
Corticosteroids or steroids are compounds with very strong anti-inflammatory properties. You must have heard the names of some of these groups by now
Betamethasone, dexamethasone, prednisolone and…
Now what will happen by injecting drugs of this category into the epidural space?
We said that an intervertebral disc herniation will also occur inside this epidural, it is in this space that the protruding disc will put pressure on the root of the spinal cord and the nerve will become inflamed due to the pressure.
Injection of injectable corticosteroids into the epidural space will significantly reduce inflammation in nerve roots.
In what low back pain do doctors use steroid injections into the epidural?
If the cause of your back pain is one or more of the following:
- Intervertebral disc herniation
- Destruction of the intervertebral disc or degeneration of the intervertebral disc, which is in fact the same as osteoarthritis of the spine
Contraindications to epidural steroid injections
If:
You are pregnant
You have underlying cardiovascular disease
Are you taking anticoagulants or have an underlying coagulation disorder?
You have been allergic to these injectable drugs before
Your doctor should not inject you with epidural steroids
But can this epidural injection of corticosteroids have any side effects?
Can we have weakness in the legs after injecting steroids into the epidural?
Read on to find out the answers to the above questions
Complications of epidural injection of corticosteroids
Patients with disc herniation pain, spinal osteoarthritis, and spinal stenosis are said to respond well to intraepidural steroid injections, which should be used with caution in people with diabetes and mild heart disease. Generally:
- Infections
- Incidence of bleeding
- Flushing
- Headache
- Transient tingling and numbness of the legs may be possible side effects of these injections.
This technique is sometimes called as closed spinal surgery.
Doctors call the injection of steroids into the epidural space epidural steroid injections (ESI)
Types of corticosteroid drugs
Your doctor will select and inject you with a family of corticosteroids. This medicine can be one of the following:
- Triamcinolone
- prednisolone
- Dexamethasone
After injection, the drug can break down substances that cause swelling and inflammation in the nerve root, reducing inflammation and thus pain.
Doctors say the effects of epidural steroid injections can even last for several years
After the effects of the injected drug gradually return, you can return to your daily activities.
With this injection, you may be less likely to have surgery, for example, intervertebral disc surgery may no longer be necessary after ESI.
After injection
After the injection and after lying on the bed for a while, you can walk and return home. The pain at the injection site is relieved with a cold compress and acetaminophen.
A few hours after the injection, as the anesthetic wears off, your pain may increase, but it will gradually go away with a cold compress.
Complications and results of ESI
Most patients' pain is greatly reduced. After the injection, you will be provided with an exercise program to strengthen the muscles around the lumbar spine and...
Following a corticosteroid injection, a slight increase in blood sugar occurs, and flushing or fluid retention in the body will also be normal.
Any numbness or muscle weakness will usually go away within the first eight hours after EPI
Is there weakness in the legs and lower limbs after EPI?
Yes. One of the most well-known side effects after epidural steroid injections is poor mobility in your legs.
This weakness may slow down your recovery process after the injection.
The person may experience temporary or persistent pain due to intraepidural injection and dissatisfaction with EPI.
According to doctors, this complication means weakness of the leg muscles after EPI.
It is called steroid induced myopathy
Myopathy refers to disorders and problems that develop in the muscle
In steroid induced myopathies, the muscles of the upper limbs are weakened and the muscle strength is reduced.
Usually these side effects, especially facial flushing caused by steroids, are transient and will go away in two to three days. Be sure to see your doctor in the next few days after an intraoral epidural steroid injection session
In general, one of the side effects of corticosteroid compounds is muscle weakness.
Apart from these problems, in very rare cases, the ability to move and feel in one or both lower limbs may be lost. In these cases, the catheter and injection needle may have hit the spinal cord and caused damage. Doctors call these cases permanent nerve damage, which are very rare.