Steroid Injections and COVID-19 Vaccinations

Everyday, more and more people are receiving a COVID-19 vaccination to protect themselves and those around them. Recently a study was published by the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN) about whether epidural steroid injections reduced the effectiveness of the vaccine in people. For anyone living with a chronic pain condition, their physician may have determined that the best plan for treating their discomfort is with steroid injections. Learn more about this type of treatment and whether there is any reason why a patient should be concerned about receiving these injections if they’ve received the COVID-19 vaccine or are waiting to get the vaccine.

What Are Epidural Steroid Injections?

First thing to note is that an epidural steroid injection (ESI) is widely used by pain management physicians at Innovative Pain & Spine in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. The minimally-invasive procedure helps relieve pain in the neck, arm, back, and leg that is caused by inflammation in the spinal nerves. Some of the common conditions treated with ESI include:

  • Sciatica
  • Degenerative disc disease
  • Herniated disc
  • Spinal stenosis

Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients Receiving ESI 

The primary concern regarding COVID-19 vaccines in the setting of steroid use is efficacy given the immunosuppressive hallmarks of corticosteroids. While specific data on the efficacy of vaccines in people using steroid injections are lacking, it should be noted the COVID-19 vaccines approved for FDA Emergency Use Authorization do not employ live viruses and therefore are not anticipated to pose special safety concerns with respect to immunocompromised patients. Thus, while some pain providers may be concerned with the effects of epidural steroid injections on vaccine safety and efficacy, there are no data that suggest epidural steroid injections should be postponed or avoided due to COVID-19 vaccination. 

According to the ASPN report, the COVID-19 vaccination in patients receiving epidural steroid injections for the management of pain is safe and effective.

Talk With Your Provider

Pursuing both COVID-19 vaccination and interventional pain procedures should not be a danger to patients or prevent them from getting the vaccine. Patients having epidural steroid injections should talk with their provider if they have any questions before their procedure. It is important to note that each patient’s health should be looked at on an individual basis.

If you have further questions, please contact the providers at Innovative Pain & Spine at 402-413-5010.

Guest UserInnovative Pain and Spine Specialists