When do people generally get epidural steroid injections?

Pain and labor: An epidural is a procedure to gain access to a space that surrounds the nerves and even spinal cord in the spine. The space is then injected with different medications that can range from anesthetics to steroids. For chronic pain management steroids are often used. For labor and acute post op pain anesthetics are often used.

For pain: Usually used for radicular low back pain due to a disc bulge/herniation or for spinal stenosis.

Failed Treatment: When more conservative treatments such as anti-inflammatories, rest, and physical therapy fail and patients have what is known as radicular symptoms such as sciatica or arm pain thought to be caused by disc disease.

When there is nerve : Inflammation due to mechanical compression or chemical irritation. It should be an active part of your treatment not a solution when physical therapy fails. Epidurals cure nothing, time and physical therapy do. You should ask for a physical therapy referral immediately after your first injection.

4-6 weeks: Initially the symptoms last 4-6 weeks and if your body heals like it supposed to then pain relief starts. However disc herniations which are the cause of majority of sciatica symptoms last for 6-9 months and therefore people can have pain during that time as well. If not better after 6 weeks see a spine specialist to evaluate this further. Try core exercise s first, check youtube or see PT.