A 36-year-old member asked:
How long does it usually take for an epidural steroid injection to alleviate the pain of a herniated disk?
5 doctor answers • 22 doctors weighed in
Dr. Sharad Rajpalanswered
Neurosurgery 20 years experience
Depends: Epidural injections can be done with a variety of medications, including steroids and/or local anesthetic. Some people have instant benefit, whereas others develop an improvement over some time (potentially up to 2 weeks before getting relief). Part of this is due to the medication "cocktail" used and the pathology of the area.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Thomas Dowlinganswered
Orthopedic Spine Surgery 41 years experience
Immediate to never: There can be a wide variation on the response to this injection & symptom relief. First, it works best for radicular pain & when the needle is guided under fluoroscopy as there can be up to a 30% miss rate if not done that way. For some, there is immediate relief while for others it may take a few days if at all & may even require a series of 3 injections. Overall, there is about a 50% success.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Brian Leanswered
Pain Management 18 years experience
Steroid injection: It usually takes a few days for the steroid to be effective. There is a wide variation on the response to this injection & symptom relief. The duration of relief also varies.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Qamar Khananswered
Pain Management 18 years experience
A few days: up to 2 weeks in some people. If you haven't had even a little relief after 2 weeks, likely a different treatment may be needed. If you got some relief, a second epidural can be even more helpful.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Diane Minichanswered
Family Medicine 38 years experience
3-14 days: If no effect after 14 days then discuss other options with your doctor.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Similar questions
CA
A 25-year-old member asked:
How long does it usually take for an epidural steroid injection to alleviate a herniated disk to take effect?
6 doctor answers • 13 doctors weighed in
A Verified Doctoranswered
Orthopedic Surgery 34 years experience
3-5 days: Sometimes patients report improvement later (1-2 weeks) but most notice improvement earlier. If it does not work by the 2nd week then it is not going to do any good.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. David Rosenfeld commented
Pain Management 28 years experience
Even if the first one fails, it is not unreasonable to repeat the injection. If both fail, then other tratments need to be employed.
Feb 1, 2012
Last updated Nov 17, 2019
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