Epidurals Specialist

Eric K. Fanaee, MD

Board Certified in Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology located in West Islip, NY, Smithtown, NY & Bethpage, NY

Epidurals are injections that deliver pain-relieving medication into the spine to ease pain. Dedicated to helping his patients get relief from their pain conditions, Eric K. Fanaee, MD, provides epidurals at his offices in West Islip, Smithtown, and Bethpage, New York. Schedule a consultation at the office of Dr. Eric K. Fanaee, MD, to see if epidurals can help you by calling or booking online today.

Epidurals Q & A

What are epidurals?

Epidurals are injections into the epidural space in your spine, which is the fat-filled space that covers and protects your spinal cord and spinal nerves. These injections contain a corticosteroid and a local anesthetic.

The local anesthetic provides fast pain relief, while the corticosteroid reduces inflammation of spinal nerves for long-term pain relief.

Am I a candidate for epidurals?

Dr. Fanaee conducts a comprehensive evaluation to determine if you’re a candidate for epidural injections. If you have chronic arm, leg, neck, or back pain because of inflamed spinal nerves, then you might be a candidate for epidurals.

Common causes of nerve inflammation include:

Herniated disc
Spinal arthritis
Sciatica
Bone spurs

These conditions often develop from changes in the spacing in your spine, which can limit room for your spinal nerves as they exit your spinal canal. The limited space irritates or compresses nerves, leading to inflammation and pain.

What happens during an epidural injection?

Epidurals are outpatient procedures that take about an hour. Dr. Fanaee performs the injection using fluoroscopic-guided imaging, which is a type of X-ray that shows moving images on a monitor that helps him guide the placement of the needle.

While you lie facedown on the X-ray table, Dr. Fanaee cleans the skin with an antiseptic agent and positions the imaging device. He may provide a sedative to help you relax during the procedure.

Dr. Fanaee injects a local anesthetic, then inserts the needle into the epidural space. He administers a contrast dye to highlight the inflamed nerves and then injects the medication.

After a brief recovery period, Dr. Fanaee sends you home. You need to have someone drive you home following the procedure, and plan on taking it easy the rest of the day. You should be able to get back to your usual activities the following day.

It may take the steroids up to three days to start working.