Epidural Steroid Injection helps in Pain Management

A large number of people suffer from sciatica pain. Most of the time, this pain occurs because of a herniated disc. Though the number of people suffering from this pain is not too alarming, even if only a small percentage of population suffers from this searing pain travelling through their legs, it is something to take note of. The pain is simply excruciating and a burning sensation is felt as a result. We at Pennsylvania Spine and Headache Center, Philadelphia understand the extent of pain, suffering and severity of the situation.

Epidural Steroid Injection

The pain due to sciatica sometimes becomes so unbearable that pain medications and other treatments need to be administered. The pain sensation in sciatica is just like pins or needles being pricked and sometimes it results in muscular spasms. Narcotic medications are required sometimes for pain relief but they may not be effective in pain occurring due to sciatica. Epidural steroid injections have proven to be quite effective in treating pain that occurs due to sciatica. The injection is administered in the lower back. The pain usually occurs due to inflammation in nerve roots. There may be several causes for a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, arthritic bone overgrowth, etc. If there is a tear in the disc, it may result in radiculitis.

Variety of Epidural Steroid Injections

A wide range of epidural injections are available for pain management by Pennsylvania Spine and Headache Center, Philadelphia. These are intra laminar epidural injection, caudal epidural injection and transformational epidural injection. Intra laminar epidurals have been used for a long time. It involves needle placement just beneath bony area that is located above the spinal canal or lamina. These injections are advised by Pennsylvania Spine and Headache Center for pain management in USA only when it is highly need and prescribed. Transformational and caudal epidural injections are also used for bringing about a relief in the chronic pain suffered by many people.

Bruce Levin, M.D.

Dr. Levin, a 1984 graduate of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is a Board Certified Anesthesiologist with subspecialized fellowship training at the University of Miami and NYU Schools Of Medicine.  He is Subspecialty Board Certified in Pain Management.  He has extensive clinical experience and focuses his practice on the interventional treatment of complex pain syndromes and related disorders.  He offers the most advanced interventional and related therapies to treat a wide variety of disorders. Many of his patients have come to him following years of suffering from a wide variety of pain syndromes which had previously been refractory to treatment.

Clinical interests include: Spinal Degenerative Diseases, Headaches, Complex Pain Syndromes following spinal surgery of the back or neck, bulging discs, herniated discs, Facet joint disease, Neuralgias, Complex Regional Pain Syndromes, ie; RSD or CRPS, and numbness or weakness due to pathologies of the spine or nerves.

As a skilled and experienced Pain Medicine Interventionalist, Dr. Levin evaluates each patient very thoroughly and carefully to help determine appropriate treatment options in order to provide the most effective individualized care.  These treatment options may include:  Lumbar, Thoracic and Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections utilizing targeted transforaminal techniques, Lumbar and Cervical Sympathetic Blocks, Sphenopalatine, Facial and Head and Neck Procedures, Discography, Percutaneuos Discectomy or Disc Decompression procedures, precision joint and nerve injections, Radiofrequency Neuroablative procedures, Peripheral or Spinal Cord Stimulator trials and implants, Foraminoplasties and several patented and patent pending advanced interventional procedures.

He has developed and refined exciting new methods of Migraine treatment and has a method, Mygaine, which can essentially cure Migraines in a type of Migraine found in 20-40% of patients who suffer from Migraine Headaches. This same modality is successful in 80% of patients with Cluster Headaches . He also has developed an interesting modality  useful in treating certain types of Chronic Daily Headache.