{"id":1454,"date":"2018-09-21T20:59:47","date_gmt":"2018-09-21T20:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/comprehensivespine.weillcornell.org\/back-pain-treatment-when-to-consider-spine-injections\/"},"modified":"2021-02-20T00:55:34","modified_gmt":"2021-02-20T00:55:34","slug":"back-pain-treatment-when-to-consider-spine-injections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/comprehensivespine.weillcornell.org\/back-pain-treatment-when-to-consider-spine-injections\/","title":{"rendered":"Back Pain Treatment: When to Consider Spine Injections"},"content":{"rendered":"

No matter who you are, you\u2019ll most likely experience lower back pain at some point in your adult life. Most of the time, the pain goes away within a few weeks, but what happens if it lingers and disrupts your daily routine? When should you see a spine specialist<\/a> to receive lower back pain treatment in the form of steroid injections?<\/p>\n

Lower Back Injections: The Basics<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Spinal injections are increasingly popular. By reducing inflammation, the injected medications offer relief from the constant pain that accompanies many people through the course of a day. 1<\/sup><\/p>\n

The procedure is relatively simple and non-invasive. It involves two separate stages. The first stage involves epidural steroid injections (ESI). A doctor injects cortisone and epidurals directly into the spine near the location of the irritated nerve.<\/p>\n

The second stage involves regenerative stem cell and platelet injections, a process which helps the tissue to repair itself using the body’s own plasma platelets. In other words, this part of the treatment is designed to help the body heal itself.<\/p>\n

Although relatively conservative when compared to spine surgery, spine injections nevertheless have their upsides and downsides. Like many treatments, it comes with rare but real side effects\u2014anything from weight gain to hypertension. 2<\/sup> Injections are not right for everyone, and they are neither the first nor the last course of action recommended by spine doctors.<\/p>\n

Conservative Back Pain Treatment: The First Line of Defense<\/strong><\/h5>\n

In most cases, physical therapy is the first recourse. Combined with regular exercise, it is the most conservative strategy for relieving pain and addressing underlying issues. That being said, someone suffering from crippling pain may first need to receive injections before taking part in a physical therapy session.<\/p>\n

In general, the first line of defense against back pain should include some combination of the following:<\/p>\n