Lumbar epidural steroid injection involves the percutaneous injection of steroid into the lumbar epidural space to relieve inflammation associated with spinal never compression. This procedure is designed to temporarily decrease leg pain or back pain associated with lumbar spinal stenosis or lumbar disc herniation.
Lumbar epidural steroid injection can be done safely as an outpatient procedure and is usually administered with the assistance of an x-ray machine or fluoroscopy while the patient is under a light conscious sedation.
This procedure is commonly done as an alternative to surgical intervention to improve sciatic pain or lumbar radiculopathy associated with lumbar disc herniations or spinal stenosis.