When is an Epidural the Right Choice for Your Chronic Back Pain?

Around 10% of Americans experience ongoing back pain, particularly in the lumbar (lower) spine. Chronic back pain affects how you work, sleep, and move through your day, often becoming so disabling that it forces people to quit work altogether.

When rest, exercises, and hands-on care don’t fully ease symptoms, many patients start asking about epidural injections. An epidural is beneficial in certain situations, but it’s not always the first or best step to a solution. Understanding when it makes sense can help you feel confident about your care plan.

At Touch Stone Rehabilitation & Health Center, we offer various treatments for chronic pain, generally starting with noninvasive options. We usually only recommend epidural injections when these initial therapies are unsuccessful.

Epidural injection basics

An epidural injection delivers anti-inflammatory corticosteroid medication into the space around the spinal nerves. We often use injections that combine steroids with a numbing medicine for enhanced effects, reducing swelling around irritated nerves and quieting pain signals.

Epidurals don’t fix the structure of the spine. Instead, they create a window of relief that can make movement, therapy, and healing easier.

When does chronic back pain respond best to an epidural?

When inflammation around a spinal nerve is the source of pain, epidurals can work. Common examples include:

Herniated or bulging discs
Spinal stenosis (spinal canal narrowing)
Sciatica or leg pain that travels from the lower back
Pain after a flare-up or injury that hasn’t settled with conservative care

If pain stays primarily in the muscles or joints, other therapies generally work better than an epidural.

Signs an epidural may be the right next step

An epidural may help when:

Pain radiates down an arm or leg
Numbness, tingling, or burning accompanies pain
Imaging shows nerve compression or inflammation
Pain limits progress in physical therapy
You need short-term relief to regain mobility

Epidural injections often reduce pain enough to help you move more comfortably and stay active during recovery.

When an epidural may not be the best option

Epidurals don’t suit every patient and may offer limited benefit if:

Pain comes mainly from muscle tension or poor movement patterns
Arthritis causes localized joint pain without nerve involvement
Posture or weak core muscles drive symptoms
Pain improves with hands-on care and exercise

In these cases, treatments that restore movement and strength provide better long-term results.

Why a multidisciplinary approach to back pain matters

Chronic back pain rarely has a single cause. A multidisciplinary clinic like ours brings a range of treatment options together under one roof for optimal results.

On-site X-ray and ultrasound imaging help pinpoint the source of pain, which guides the treatment plan. Chiropractic care, physical therapy, and manual therapy can restore joint motion and improve alignment.

Acupuncture and massage therapy reduce muscle tension and calm the nervous system. Cold laser and ultrasound therapy support tissue healing and reduce inflammation. Trigger point injections can relax tight muscles that sustain pain cycles.

Behavioral therapy to address the mental health aspect of chronic back pain can also be beneficial. We offer specialized pain therapy that helps you learn coping strategies, reducing stress and improving mood to decrease pain intensity. Studies show that it’s particularly effective when combined with exercise.

An epidural fits into this approach when nerve inflammation plays a clear role. We often pair it with active therapies to help relieve pain.

How epidurals support rehabilitation

Pain relief alone doesn’t solve chronic back issues. An epidural works best when it supports movement-based care, reducing pain and allowing patients to:

Participate more fully in physical therapy
Strengthen core and back muscles
Improve flexibility and posture
Return to daily activities safely

This combination often leads to better and longer-lasting outcomes than injections alone.

What to expect from an epidural

The procedure typically takes no more than 30 minutes, and most patients return home that same day. Some feel relief within days, while others notice gradual improvement over one to two weeks. Results vary, so some patients enjoy months of relief, while others experience short-lived benefits.

Choosing an epidural depends on the cause of your pain, imaging results, and your response to other treatments. A careful evaluation ensures the injection fits into a larger plan designed to restore function, not just mask symptoms.

Chronic back pain deserves personalized care. When used at the right time and combined with supportive therapies, an epidural can play a valuable role in helping you move better, feel stronger, and return to the activities you enjoy.

Call Touch Stone Rehabilitation & Health Center to arrange a back pain evaluation today. You can also request more information via the online inquiry form.