Pain is an uncomfortable feeling, and nobody likes it. Mostly the pain is due to some underlying disease, and its cause is unknown in some cases. Many drugs, exercises and pain management therapies are available in the market. In this article, you will get information about steroid injections for pain management.
Steroids are hormones produced in our body (adrenal glands and gonads) to prevent inflammation and build different body tissues. These are also known as corticosteroids and can be manufactured in the laboratory as well. These chemical agents are used to treat several diseases, but their role in controlling pain is marvellous. (1)
Common examples of steroids are hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, methylprednisolone acetate and triamcinolone acetonide.
Steroid injections are medicines injected into the body to control pain. These injections can be given by different routes. The onset and duration of action of these medicines are different by different routes. Commonly used routes are epidural (into the spine) and intra-articular (into the joint spaces). Less common routes for pain management are intramuscular (into the muscle) and intravenous (into the vein). (2)
Steroid injections work effectively when other therapies for controlling pain do not work. These are effective in managing chronic pain in the following conditions.
Any patient with the above conditions whose pain is not controlled with oral NSAIDs, oral steroids or other pain killers, can go for steroid injections. You must consult a doctor if you have any contraindications to steroids. You can book an appointment at Atlanta Health centers for consultation.
There are certain conditions in which having a steroid injection for pain is not recommended. You must consult a specialist if:
Steroids injections work as anti-inflammatory agents in our body. The mechanism behind every pain is inflammation, and steroids help reduce it. One must consult a pain management specialist if he has been suffering from pain for months or years.
You can book an appointment at Atlanta Health centers. We are pain management specialists, and our patients are living pain-free lives. We are the one-stop solution for your chronic pain.
1. Breivik H, Collett B, Ventafridda V, Cohen R, Gallacher D. Survey of chronic pain in Europe: prevalence, impact on daily life, and treatment. European journal of pain. 2006;10(4):287-333.
2. Younes M, Neffati F, Touzi M, Hassen-Zrour S, Fendri Y, Béjia I, et al. Systemic effects of epidural and intra-articular glucocorticoid injections in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Joint Bone Spine. 2007;74(5):472-6.
3. Schlesinger N, Schumacher Jr HR. Gout: can management be improved? Current opinion in rheumatology. 2001;13(3):240-4.
4. Friedrich JM, Harrast MA. Lumbar epidural steroid injections: indications, contraindications, risks, and benefits. Current sports medicine reports. 2010;9(1):43-9.
