Experiencing chronic back pain can significantly affect your daily life, making even simple tasks daunting and uncomfortable. If you've been exploring treatment options, you might have come across spinal injections as a possible solution to your pain.
Board-certified neurologist and pain medicine specialist Daljit S. Buttar, MD, leads our team at Raleigh Spine and Pain Center in Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina, where we provide effective pain management solutions, including spinal injections.
Our practice is dedicated to understanding each patient’s unique challenges and creating personalized treatment plans that address not just the symptoms but also the underlying cause of pain.
Wondering how long the relief from a spinal injection lasts? Keep reading to learn the answer to this question so you can make an informed decision about your treatment.
Spinal injections are a non-surgical treatment option designed to deliver medication directly to the source of pain in your spinal area.
These injections provide relief from chronic back and neck pain and are used to treat a variety of conditions, including herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and spinal stenosis.
Spinal injections are typically recommended for patients who haven’t responded to more conservative pain management approaches, such as medications, physical therapy, or lifestyle changes.
Dr. Buttar may also recommend spinal injections for patients whose pain hinders daily activities or when surgery is not an immediate option.
There are many types of spinal injections, each with different properties and durations of relief. Here’s a look at some of the more common:
Steroid & epidural injections, such as caudal steroid injections and facet joint injections, are widely used to reduce inflammation and ease pain.
These injections are often part of a broader pain management strategy that may include physical therapy and oral medications. The duration of relief depends on individual factors, such as your overall health and the severity of your inflammation.
While most people experience short-term relief that lasts from a few weeks to a few months, Dr. Buttar can sometimes use these types of injections to achieve longer-term relief, depending on the patient’s response and the underlying condition being treated.
Regenerative medicine injections, like stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, focus on healing damaged tissues and reducing inflammation to provide effective pain relief.
Most people notice their pain eases quickly after their injections. Duration of relief from these treatments varies, but it can be long-lasting as they promote long-term healing, so symptoms often continue to improve over time.
Treatments using regenerative medicine injections offer a promising outlook for chronic pain sufferers by potentially reversing damage and promoting sustainable healing.
Radiofrequency (RF) ablation uses heat to disrupt pain signals from the specific nerves contributing to chronic back pain.
This injection procedure is particularly effective for patients who don’t respond to more conventional therapies.
Relief after RF ablation can last six months to a year or more, making it a great long-term therapy for chronic pain management and a significantly improved quality of life.
Other specific techniques using injection procedures, such as intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) or vertebroplasty, provide different durations of pain relief based on the procedure and individual patient condition.
IDET involves heating spinal nerves to interfere with pain signals and can provide lasting relief for chronic back pain. Vertebroplasty helps stabilize spinal fractures and can significantly reduce pain caused by these injuries.
Understanding the different types of spinal injections and their potential durations of relief is important if you’re thinking about this type of therapy. Each offers distinct advantages and can be personalized to your individual needs and spinal condition.
If you’re dealing with persistent pain and want an alternative to surgery, spinal injections might be the right treatment for you. Schedule an appointment at a Raleigh Spine & Pain Center in Raleigh or Charlotte to learn which option is best for you.
