Epidural Steroid Injections, Hot and Cold Therapy
Epidural steroid injections [4] unlike nerve root blocks usually do not include a local anesthetic into the epidural space that separates your spinal column from the protective dura mater layer. ESI is also effective to target painful nerve roots. The procedure is minimally invasive and uses fluoroscopic guidance. Like SNRBs, doctors can administer ESIs for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. ESI as a treatment for disc herniated has a success rate of between 76% and 88%. Results can provide short-term or in some patients long-term relief.
Hot and cold therapy can help relieve pain from herniated discs. Each of them serves a different purpose, alternating them will greatly help. Cold therapy helps reduce inflammation and relieves pain while hot therapy enhances circulation and promotes healing. As hot and cold are opposite each therapy is also opposing. You should start with cold therapy, then when the cold therapy has relieved your pain enough, apply some heat to increase the flood blood and accelerate healing.