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The use of steroid injections by physicians is growing in popularity in Pennsylvania and the rest of the United States to treat back and neck pain. However, certain side effects of epidurals are causing dangerous complications including spinal cord injuries, paralysis and fatalities.
This has led the Food and Drug Administration to review the dangers relating to the use of steroid injections. Reports indicate approximately 8.9 million United States residents were administered steroid injections within the past 12 months.
According to the FDA, focus is being placed on transforaminal steroid injections whereby the needle is brought extremely close to critical arteries feeding the spinal cord. Reports further indicate approximately half of Americans who received epidural steroid shots last year had them administered in this manner.
Physicians advising the FDA during their review noted concerns about slow-dissolving steroid injections, otherwise known as particulate steroids, because blockages could be created. If accidentally shot into the arteries, it could accidentally trigger a stroke.
In a 2007 issue of the medical journal Spine, surveyed physicians reported 78 cases of patients that suffered serious injuries after receiving shots in the cervical area of the upper spine. This journal report also revealed there were 13 deaths.
An analysis of malpractice claims filed between 2005 and 2008 that was performed earlier this year reveals 31 cases involving spinal cord injuries in patients receiving shots in the neck. Of these 31 patients, 8 of them suffered from a stroke.
It is likely that these types of serious side effects resulting from steroid injections could lead to personal injury lawsuits throughout the United States. If you or someone you love has been injured by an epidural, contact a personal injury attorney in your area to find out if you may be entitled to compensation.
Source: Businessweek, “Epidurals Linked to Paralysis Seen With $300 Billion Pain Market,” Jan. 4, 2012