What is the definition or description of: epidural injection?

Pain treatment: Epidural injections treat either acute or chronic pain. The most common epidural injections are to treat labor pain and usually include an indwelling catheter that provides continuous treatment until the baby is delivered. The medicine is a local anesthetic +/- opiod. Epidural injections also include single shot injections to treat chronic back pain. These usually include the use of steroids.

Definition: Epidural - regional anesthesia resulting from injection of an anesthetic into the epidural space of the spinal cord; sensation is lost in the abdominal and genital and pelvic areas; used in childbirth and gynecological surgery. It is also used in other types of surgery when the patient is to remain conscious.

ESI: An epidural steroid injection is a minimally invasive procedure that delivers steroids via a needle directly into the epidural space to help reduce inflammation.