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Anesthetic or corticosteroid injections for low back pain
Local anesthesia is believed to break the cycle of pain that can cause you to become less physically active. Muscles that are not being exercised are more easily injured, so the irritated and injured muscles can cause more pain and spasm and can disrupt sleep. This pain, spasm, and fatigue, in turn, can lead to less and less activity.
Steroids reduce inflammation. So a corticosteroid injected into the spinal canal can help relieve pressure on nerves and nerve roots.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: February 3, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Robert B. Keller, MD - Orthopedics | |
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