Category
Threshold Criteria
Epidural steroid and/ or anaesthetic injections are a common treatment for relief from many forms of low back pain, leg pain and radicular pain originating from the lumbar, cervical and thoracic region. The epidural injection delivers medication directly to the suspected source of the pain and controls local inflammation that may contribute to the pain.
Pain relief is usually temporary with patients describing the relief for anywhere between 1 month and 1 year.
This treatment is provided as part of a pain management programme by a specialised pain management service
Epidural Injections for patients with chronic non-specific back pain is NOT ROUTINELY FUNDED
The following are excluded from this policy
- Children up to the age of 18yrs
- Patients with back pain secondary to spinal metastases
Eligibility
| The LLR CCGs will fund this treatment when the following criteria is met The patient is aged 18 years and over AND All conservative management options have been tried and failed e.g. physiotherapy treatments, guided exercise programmes, pharmacotherapy including analgesia and muscle relaxants AND Patients experience acute and severe pain (assessed by a pain specialist using a visual analogue Pain Scale or similar) Do NOT use epidural injections for neurogenic claudication in people who have central spinal canal stenosis |
Guidance
| ARP 38 Review Date: 2026 |
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