Fields of application

Epidural anesthesia is used as a possible pain therapy for herniated discs. It should always be considered before an operation! In contrast to painkilling tablets, epidural anaesthesia only acts locally on the affected nerve roots and does not burden the entire body’s circulation.

During its duration of action, pain-related muscle and vascular spasms can be relieved. This often results in the pain of a herniated disc! Under certain circumstances, a longer-term application of epidural anesthesia may even be considered.

For this purpose, the doctor connects a catheter in the epidural space with a medication pump, implanted under the skin. In this way, targeted, needs-based doses of the medication can be administered. Epidural anesthesia is also the preferred method of choice in orthopedics and gynecology.

However, urological interventions can also be performed using epidural anesthesia (PDA). Epidural anaesthesia can be a sensible alternative, especially for critically ill or elderly patients. In contrast to a conventional general anaesthesia, not the entire circulation is stressed, but only the desired nerve roots.

Typical anaesthetic complications, such as respiratory arrest, occur significantly less frequently. Some patients are also very afraid of general anesthesia and the associated loss of control. Frequently performed operations using an epidural are above all:

Use of artificial knee joints (=> knee prosthesis)
Use of artificial hip joints (=> hip prosthesis)
Operations on the lungs
Operations in the abdominal cavity, liver, pancreas, esophagus, etc.
Caesarean section (Sectio) and natural birth

Epidural anesthesia for a slipped disc

In principle, it is possible to perform epidural or epidural anesthesia even in cases of herniated discs. This is offered by special practices (e.g. specialists for neurosurgery) or hospitals, some of them also on an outpatient basis. The aim here is to inject painkilling medication and, if necessary, cortisone directly into the area where the damaged intervertebral disc presses on the nerves exiting the spinal canal.

This relieves the pain and, when cortisone is added, also inhibits the inflammatory reaction. However, this does not treat the cause, namely the compression (pressure) by the damaged intervertebral disc on the nerves. In case of a herniated disc, patients should definitely consult their family doctor and, if necessary, a specialist in orthopedics, neurosurgery or spinal surgery about the various treatment options.

In case of a caesarean section (Sectio caesarea), spinal anaesthesia is usually preferred, as this offers a faster onset of action. However, epidural or epidural anesthesia is also one of the established standard procedures that are often used in obstetrics. Epidural anesthesia is advantageous if an epidural catheter (PDK) has already been inserted before or during obstetric pain therapy.

Then a sufficient dosage can be achieved in time so that the epidural anaesthesia can be used for the planned caesarean section. Are you about to have a caesarean section? – Then the following articles might be interesting for you:

Spinal anesthesia for caesarean section
Cesarean section on request
Pain after a caesarean section