New Jersey Spine Specialist’s board-certified team of spinal doctors helps patients manage varying levels of back pain. Back pain stems from many different causes and doesn’t discriminate based on age, gender, or ethnicity. For patients tired of living with chronic back pain, New Jersey Spine Specialists’ industry-leading spinal experts have decades of experience with cutting edge treatment options. It doesn’t matter if you’re presenting with spinal stenosis, lumbar disc herniations, cervical disc herniations, or any other spine disorder.

NJSS’ spine doctors’ can help guide patients manage on how best to manage their back pain or their arm or leg pain due to a pinched nerve. NJSS doctors use minimally invasive treatment methods such as epidural steroid injections, physical therapy, movement coaching, and in some extreme cases, spinal surgeries. With locations in Summit at Overlook Hospital and in Montclair at Mountainside hospital, give New Jersey Spine Specialist a call to relieve your back pain today.

The Pros & Cons of Epidural Steroid Injections in the Management of Back Pain

Like with any procedure, Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI) have pros and cons that may affect your decision around back pain management. Before we get into that, a little bit about epidural injections. An epidural steroid injection involves injecting a steroid medication and local anesthetic around an irritated spinal nerve. Keep in mind that epidurals do not fix issues that cause back pain such as torn or herniated discs, disc bulging, spinal stenosis, etc. Instead, epidurals reduce inflammation, manage back pain, and increase the chances of the spine naturally healing itself. When done properly, epidurals at are a very low risk procedure compared to surgical intervention.

The Benefits Of Using Epidurals For Back Pain Management

• Extremely safe, especially when performed by an experienced and thoughtful doctor
• A recent study found that 4.2k epidurals from one practice resulted in 0 complications
• Allows patients to return to a normal daily routine
• Minimal side effects and very low risk
• Assuming the failure of conservative treatments, epidural steroid injection may be an effective option short of surgery

The Drawbacks Of Using Epidurals For Back Pain Management

• In the hands of inexperienced doctors, a misplaced epidural needle can cause a spine fluid leak and a spinal headache.
• A misplaced need can further irritate and inflame the already agitated spinal nerve(s)
• Can cause pain in around 2% of patients for a few days following
• Facial flushing in rare cases
• Repeated usage over time may contribute to weakening of the spinal bones (osteoporosis)

As far as non-surgical back pain management goes, epidurals bring minimal risk and can be an effective treatment option; however, the biggest problem with epidural steroid injection is that they are overused by doctors who are unfamiliar with all of the latest techniques. NJSS doctors will educate you as to what is causing your pain and help you decide if an epidural steroid injection is the right choice. Sometimes covering up the symptoms to a problem such as a pinched nerve is not the best answer.

How NJSS Uses Physical Therapy For Back Pain Management

New Jersey Spine Specialist board-certified doctors exhaust all conservative treatment methods – such as physical therapy – before recommending more invasive treatments like epidural injections or surgery. The goal of physical therapy is to strengthen the supporting muscles around the spine, stretch the injured area, reduce pain, and teach patients how to move without inflicting further injury. In many cases of disc herniation and other spine injuries, physical therapy can help patients manage back pain while the body naturally repairs itself. New Jersey Spine Specialists usually succeed in treating back pain using non-invasive treatments including physical therapy.

Minimally Invasive Back Pain Management With NJ’s Leading Spine Experts

At New Jersey Spine Specialists, we believe in avoiding surgical intervention for managing back pain whenever possible. Between physical therapy, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication, and epidural steroid injections, New Jersey Spine Specialists are experts at non-surgical management of spinal disorders. When a problem does require surgical correction, NJSS doctors use minimally invasive treatments whenever possible. Don’t let back pain hold you back a moment longer. Give New Jersey Spine Specialists a call at (908) 738-1679.

Say “Good Bye” To Back Pain!

For questions about any of our services, contact us using the form below or call (908) 738-1679 today!

“I am pain free, walking and well on my way to recovery thanks to the help of New Jersey Spine Specialists” –

Robert K