How Interlaminar Epidurals Support Recovery from Acute Sciatica Flares

Sciatica is a painful condition due to irritation or compression of your sciatic nerve. If your sciatica symptoms last for at least several months, you’re dealing with chronic sciatica. With acute sciatica, your symptoms flare up suddenly and severely, but don’t last as long.

The right treatment can help alleviate sudden sciatica flare-ups and guard against ongoing problems. For many patients, interlaminar epidural steroid injections (ESIs) provide a useful option for quick and lasting relief.

Our expert team at Houston Pain Specialists, led by board-certified pain management specialist Hui Kang, MD, offer epidural injections to help you live more comfortably when other treatments haven’t sufficed.

Take a few moments to learn more about acute sciatica, including how intralaminar epidurals can help.

Acute sciatica symptoms

Anyone can develop acute sciatica symptoms, but your chances are heightened if you’ve endured an accident, have a herniated disc or spinal stenosis, or carry excess weight. Inactivity may also raise your risk for flare-ups.

Acute sciatica flares can present themselves in a range of ways. The most common signs include:

• Burning pain that radiates down one side of your body
• Electric shock-like pain
• Tingling sensations
• Numbness in your back or leg
• Muscle weakness in your back or leg

While rare, acute sciatica can cause incontinence issues by disrupting signals between your bladder or bowels and your brain.

How interlaminar epidural steroid injections work

Interlaminar epidural steroid injections place medication in the space around your spinal cord to reduce inflammation and ease nerve pain.

During this minimally invasive procedure, you lie face down on a medical table. Before the injections start, we cleanse your back and apply a topical numbing agent to keep you comfortable. From there, we use a thin needle to inject the medication.

Your injection procedure should take less than 15 minutes and requires no recovery time. We may have you rest in a waiting area for up to an hour to ensure that you respond well to the medication before returning home.

Interlaminar ESI injection results

Interlaminar ESI injections contain steroids, which usually start to reduce pain and inflammation within a few days. They also contain a local anesthetic, for immediate relief. 

While individual results vary, sciatica pain relief from interlaminar ESI injections may last for months. At that point, you can opt for additional treatment if needed.

To learn more about intralaminar epidural steroid injections or get personalized sciatica support, contact our Houston, Texas, office today to schedule an appointment.