ProcedureImage-guided injections
Epidural & nerve root injections
Where a nerve root is inflamed, placing a small volume of local anaesthetic and steroid precisely around it can reduce pain enough to move, sleep and rehabilitate. It is performed under live imaging, because precision is the entire point.
What it is
A small amount of local anaesthetic with a corticosteroid is placed in the epidural space, or directly along the path of a single nerve root (a transforaminal injection). The aim is to reduce inflammation around the nerve.
Who it suits
- Leg or arm pain following a clear nerve root distribution
- Sciatica that is not settling with time and rehabilitation
- Pain limiting sleep or the ability to start a rehabilitation programme
- Cases where confirming the level would change the plan
On the day
You lie on the imaging table and the skin is cleaned and numbed. Using live X-ray guidance and a small amount of contrast, the needle is positioned and the injection given. It takes fifteen to twenty minutes; most of the visit is preparation and recovery.
You rest in recovery for around thirty minutes, and a responsible adult should take you home if sedation was used.
Afterwards
The local anaesthetic can give several hours of marked relief, followed by a return of pain before the steroid takes effect over three to ten days. That pattern is expected and is worth recording — it tells us the target was right.
Gentle normal activity from the next day; the rehabilitation programme starts inside the relief window.
Risks
- Temporary increase in pain for a day or two — common
- Headache, flushing, or a few days of disturbed sleep from the steroid
- Temporary raised blood sugar — relevant if you have diabetes
- Bleeding or infection — uncommon, and screened for beforehand
- Nerve injury — rare, and the reason live imaging is used throughout
A note on this page
This is general information, written to help you prepare for a conversation. It is not a substitute for an individual assessment — what is right for you depends on your history, your examination and your own goals.
Common questions
Asked before, answered here
The numbing sting is the worst part for most people. Pressure is felt during the injection itself.
It varies from weeks to many months. Duration matters less than what is achieved during the window.
Costs are confirmed in writing before anything is booked. Published ranges are on the fees page.
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Ask whether this suits you
Suitability is decided after an assessment, never from a form. Tell us where you are up to and we will advise honestly.
Visit
Level 2, 48 Macquarie StreetSydney, NSW 2000Response
Enquiries are answered within one to two business days. Urgent clinical matters are triaged the same day by the practice team.