Doctors Debunk Viral Social Media Post On “Dangers” Of Epidurals

Social media platforms are notorious for spreading misinformation, and without prudent fact-checking, this might lead some people to avoid treatments that could help them. Integrated Pain Consultants is proudly renowned for providing a suite of pain services for the back, neck, joints, nerve pain, and more, prioritizing conservative treatments like epidural injections. Epidurals aren’t just for labor pain, but they are still the most well-known pain management tool for women in the birthing process. Unfortunately, a viral Facebook post on epidurals has been sharing misinformation that epidural injections are dangerous—and doctors are working to debunk this myth.

The post in question wrongly claims that epidural injections are “one of the worst and [sic] dangerous injections in the world” and that some women in labor had “no choice” regarding whether they got an injection. The post, which has no link to any medical professional or organization, also falsely claims that epidural injections lead to chronic back pain. In reality, the odds of an epidural injection leading to chronic back pain is exceptionally rare and in the US women always have a choice to accept an epidural during childbirth.

Get Correct Information on Pain Management

The unfortunate post includes a photo of a woman getting an epidural injection, which was sourced from Getty Images. The American Society of Anesthesiologists was quick to refute the post, stating that epidural injections are “one of the most effective, safest and widely used forms of pain management for women in labor.” They also asserted that having an epidural lead to permanent back pain is a myth, but that some temporary soreness at the injection site is common for some patients.

This is not the first time the misleading social media post has been shared—and debunked. The same claim was made in 2019 and was refuted by Africa Check, a fact-checking group. The reality is that epidural injections can be used to calm inflamed spinal nerves caused by a variety of conditions (including labor). You deserve medically sound, correct information when it comes to pain relief. Contact Integrated Pain Consultants at (480) 626-2552 to learn more about pain management options like epidural injections.