Epidural steroid injections for short-term back pain

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Do they work?

We don't know. There hasn't been any good research on steroid injections for short-term back pain.

What are they?

Epidural steroid injections are used to reduce inflammation and pain in your back. Doctors inject a steroid (which reduces inflammation) into the area between the nerves of the spinal cord and the lining surrounding them (epidural space). You may have the injection with or without a local anaesthetic. Epidural steroids are usually injected by anaesthetists or other medical specialists. It's unlikely that your GP will inject them.

The full name for these drugs is corticosteroids. They are not the same as the anabolic steroids sometimes used by body builders. Corticosteroids are similar to the chemicals made naturally by the body.

How can they help?

We can't say for sure if epidural steroid injections will help back pain. There hasn't been any good research on this treatment.[1]

Why should they work?

These drugs may numb the nerve roots and reduce any inflammation, but no one really knows how they work.

Can they be harmful?

We don't know. There hasn't been enough research to be sure. But all epidural injections have risks. For example, studies in people with some types of spine pain have found that epidural injections can cause infections.[2] It's important these injections are given by an experienced doctor.[3]

What's the evidence for epidural steroid injections for short-term back pain?

References

Koes BW, Scholten RJPM, Mens JMA, et al. Epidural steroid injections for low back pain and sciatica: an updated systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Pain Digest. 1999; 9: 241-247.
Boswell MV, Hansen HC, Trescot AM, et al. Epidural steroids in the management of chronic spinal pain and radiculopathy. Pain Physician. 2003; 6: 319-334.
Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Pain Society. Recommendations on the use of epidural injections for the treatment of back pain and leg pain of spinal origin. March 2002. Available at http://www.rcoa.ac.uk/docs/b14_epiduralinjections.pdf (accessed on 18 May 2006).

Glossary

inflammation: Inflammation is when your skin or some other part of your body becomes red, swollen, hot and sore. Inflammation happens because your body is trying to protect you from germs, from something that's in your body and could harm you (like a splinter) or from things that cause allergies (these things are called allergens). Inflammation is one of the ways in which your body heals an infection or an injury.
local anaesthetic: Local anaesthetic is a painkiller for one area of the body. You usually get it as an injection. It makes that area numb. An example is the lidocaine you may get when your dentist fills a cavity.

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.