If you give an epidural steroid injection to an athlete, then don't you just increase the chance of more damage by taking away the pain feedback?

Possibly: The idea behind doing any injection is to facilitate therapy as a means to recovery. The goal is not to mask pain so that a person can go back to doing all those things that caused it.

Short-term fix: Unfortunately, in athletics there are many things that are done to get the player back on the field, even though it may not be the best "medicine." you are right about masking a pain with a treatment, only to have the athlete re-injure or worsen an existing injury. Epidural means there's back pain -- much more serious than a knee. Proceed with caution!

Not usually: Mild to moderate sciatica from a pinched nerve is a relatively stable condition, with low relative risk for precipitous worsening. Return to play, with or without an epidural, should be gradual and only if pain doesn't worsen. An epidural can help alleviate pain as the body heals. If the pain persists or worsens, activity should be curtailed and other treatments considered.

Um no: This is a fallacy that I am not sure how it was created but is there. If you injure yourself again likely you feel it even if you get an epidural injection. The steroid is just relieving inflammation, not shutting off all your pain senses. We ask athletes to decrease activity for 1 week to allow the steroid to kick in otherwise your activity will overwhelm its help causing more inflammation.