GROSS ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -An epidural and a spinal block both provide pain relief through an injection in the area around your spine. The differences are the placement and the effect. With an epidural, your healthcare provider injects anesthesia into the epidural space around your spinal nerves.

Detailed explanation-2: -Epidural anesthesia is a type of neuraxial anesthesia; local anesthetic (LA) is injected into the epidural space to anesthetize the spinal nerve roots that traverse the space. Epidural anesthesia is used for anesthesia of abdominal, pelvic, and lower extremity procedures and, less commonly, thoracic procedures.

Detailed explanation-3: -An epidural provides anesthesia that creates a band of numbness from your bellybutton to your upper legs. It allows you to be awake and alert throughout labor, as well as to feel pressure. The ability to feel second-stage labor pressure enables you to push when it’s time to give birth to your baby.

Detailed explanation-4: -A lumbar epidural involves injecting a local anesthetic and an anti-inflammatory steroid into the epidural space of the lower spine (lower back) to reduce inflammation causing the pain. The epidural space is the area between the dura mater (a membrane covering the spinal cord) and the vertebral wall of the spine.

Detailed explanation-5: -For an epidural: The doctor injects medicine just outside of the sac of fluid around your spinal cord. This is called the epidural space. The medicine numbs, or blocks, feeling in a certain part of your body so that you either feel less pain or no pain at all depending on the procedure.