A spinal headache is caused by a leak of the fluid that surrounds the central nervous system -- the brain and spinal cord. While many headaches go away with time, caffeine can improve spinal headache symptoms and increase spinal fluid pressure....
More than 50 percent of women ask for an epidural injection by name while in labor. The epidural injection is one of the few treatments with relatively few side effects to the child while giving birth. Epidurals are also administered for pain...
According to Drugs.com, baclofen is a medication that prevents muscle spasms in patients with diseases that cause muscle spasticity. Common conditions that may require a baclofen pump include multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and injuries to the...
An intrathecal pump, also known as a pain pump, is used to deliver pain medication directly to the spinal cord. The pump is surgically implanted in the body and designed to deliver medication over a prolonged period of time. The use of pain...
Failed back surgery, chronic low back pain and reflex sympathetic dystrophy are all painful diagnoses that can affect mobility and functioning. A spinal cord stimulator is used to treat the pain signals generated by these illnesses with...
The lumbar region of the back represents the five vertebrae of the lower back. When you experience lower back pain, inflammation of the lumbar spine is typically to blame. Lumbar steroid injections represent a nonsurgical treatment option designed...
According to the site Spinalheadache.org, spinal headaches occur when the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal nerves leaks out, causing the pressure within the skull to decrease. Spinal headaches are characterized by an extreme...
Exercise-induced thunderclap headaches can be more than just painful and debilitating -- they can also be dangerous. Although uncommon, thunderclap headaches can signal a serious medical complication or issue that requires immediate medical...
Epidural anesthesia is a common choice for women in labor. This procedure works by injecting an anesthetic into the epidural space found near the spinal column. The drug is administered via catheter, a small tube, on a continuous basis. Medical...
A caffeine infusion may sound like an office joke, but for some people it is prescribed as a treatment for headache. When you have a spinal headache, a type that occurs if you are leaking spinal fluid, oral forms of caffeine can help improve pain...
Meningitis is an illness caused by a virus, bacteria or some medications or illnesses that create inflammation of the tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord, explains KidsHealth.org, a medical resource produced by The Nemours Foundation....
Cesarean sections (c-sections) comprise around 30 percent of births in the United States, the Nemours Foundation reports. All cesarean sections, like any other major surgery, are done under anesthesia. Anesthesia for cesareans falls into two...
Meningitis is an infection of the spinal fluid and protective fibrous tissue that encapsulates the brain and spinal cord, the meninges. Bacteria and viruses, and less commonly, fungi and parasites can cause meningitis. The Meningitis Foundation of...
An epidural steroid injection is a corticosteroid treatment used to control symptoms of pain and inflammation within the neck, arms, legs or back, explains the Mayfield Clinic in Cincinnati, Ohio. This minimally invasive treatment can be injected...
An epidural is a procedure that involves the injection of an anesthetic just outside the fluid-filled space that surrounds the spinal cord, as explained by the National Institutes of Health. This is called the epidural space. Once the injection...
A spinal headache, or postdural puncture headache, is a common side effect experienced after an attempted epidural injection. It occurs when the dura, or the tissue surrounding the spinal cord, is punctured and cerebral spinal fluid leaks into the...
A cervical epidural steroid injection is a treatment option for pain caused by irritated or inflamed spinal nerves. It is an injection of steroids into the cervical epidural space. In a 2007 review article in Spine, researchers found that cervical...
Meningitis, the inflammation of the membranes (known as meninges) that surround the brain and spinal cord, is most commonly caused by a viral or bacterial infection. On rare occasions, meningitis may also be caused by fungal or amoebic...
Labor and delivery can be a painful experience. Fortunately, anesthesia is available to ease the pain of labor for women who have vaginal deliveries or cesarean sections. Anesthesia used in labor has to be safe for both mother and baby.There are...
The purpose of an epidural injection is pain relief for herniated discs and labor pains. Local anesthetics, commonly referred to as numbing medications, and anti-inflammatory steroids placed into the epidural space during the injection decrease...
Most people experience a headache and dizziness at some point in life. Sometimes a headache is accompanied by dizziness and at other times these symptoms occur individually. The causes of headaches and dizziness may be internal as in the case of...
Intrathecal chemotherapy is a form of chemotherapy that is injected directly into the spinal column or the brain. For intrathecal chemotherapy injected into the brain, a special device called an Ommaya reservoir is inserted surgically underneath...
A lumbar nerve block, also known as a lumbar sympathetic block, is a treatment commonly used for pain that results from cancer, spinal problems, neurological disorders and shingles, or herpes zoster affecting the lower extremities. Depending on...
Epidural anesthesia is administered through a catheter in the back to provide pain relief during labor and delivery. Many women find this a less stressful way to give birth. However, some possible long-term side effects are associated with...
Spinal surgery is a very complex procedure. As such, there are significant risks involved. Before being admitted into the hospital, you should discuss the possible problems and complications associated with your specific surgery with your surgeon....
According to the National Institute of Health, a spinal disc is a sponge-like disc found between each vertebra that acts as a shock absorber. It also helps to prevent spine injury and stabilize proper spine alignment. A herniated disc occurs when...
Epidural steroid injections are corticosteroid treatments that are used to control symptoms of inflammation and pain within the arms, legs, back and neck, according to Mayfield Clinic, a Cincinnati-based neurosurgery clinic. The advantage of back...
Epidurals provide pain relief in a variety of circumstances, including spinal or genital surgery, but are most commonly associated with labor and birth. According to the American Pregnancy Association, over 50 percent of women giving birth choose...
Pounding headache pain usually infers an imbalance of fluid within the head--either blood, water or cerebral spinal fluid. Migraines are the most common type of headaches that produce pounding pain and result from inappropriate vasodilation of...
