[Guest]

I'm a little worried about taking the epidural injections. I feel all they do is mask the pain while my back is getting worse, and i'll probably have to have surgery anyway. Are there any statistics on what the shots do over a long period of time? Thank you for your help.

[Guest]

In select cases, epidural injections may help the painful symptoms enough, allow treatments such as medications and physical therapy to work better, and delay or eliminate the need for surgery. In other cases, they are only a temporary measure, and make less sense. You should certainly discuss the treatment in detail with your doctor, as benefits varies depending on the indication.
[quote] I'm a little worried about taking the epidural injections. I feel all they do is mask the pain while my back is getting worse, and i'll probably have to have surgery anyway... [/quote]