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Transforaminal epidural injections

You suffer with back pain. An MRI scan shows this pain is caused by a trapped nerve in your back. The practitioners have not yet alleviated the trapped nerve with exercises. In order to relieve the pain your medical practitioner has proposed a transforaminal epidural injection. This page further outlines what this treatment entails.

Transforaminal epidural injections space

Goal of the treatment

You are administered a transforaminal epidural injection if you have a trapped nerve in your back. The nerve swells due to becoming trapped, becomes aggravated and causes pain. The medical practitioner administers an injection with medicines in the transforaminal epidural area; close to the problematic nerve. The transforaminal epidural area is the area around the spinal cord and the nerves coming out of the spinal column. The injected medicines reduce the swelling. The nerve is given more space; this will help you do the exercises necessary for improving your back which in turn lessens the pain. 

Treatment

Transforaminal epidural injection treatment

You lie on your front on the treatment table. First the medical practitioner will disinfect your skin where the injection will be administered. Under x-ray control the medical practitioner inserts a very thin needle alongside the trapped nerve. Next they inject some contrast agent (Omnipaque) to see if the needle is positioned correctly. Next you will be injected with a mix of a local anaesthetic (Lidocaine 2%) and an anti-inflammatory (Decadron). It may be that this temporarily increases the pain. Immediately after the injection the pain eases off for a number of hours. Depending on the effects of the anti-inflammatory, the pain will ease off over a long period.

Treatment duration

The treatment takes around 15 minutes.

General information

For further information about potential side effects and risks, and for other instructions we kindly ask you to read through the “your visit” and “after your treatment” information provided to you.