What Is Considered Epidural Injection Malpractice?

Gregg Hollander | December 16, 2025 | Medical Malpractice \ Uncategorized

Not all anesthesia or pain management errors happen in the operating room. Some of the most devastating injuries I see come from what are supposed to be simple outpatient pain procedures.

Patients with neck or back pain are often sent to pain management doctors before surgery is considered. Treatment can include:

  • Oral medications
  • Various types of injections, including epidural steroid injections

Epidural injections can provide significant relief when done properly. When done improperly, especially in the cervical spine, they can cause catastrophic neurologic injury.

How Epidural Injection Injuries Occur

In cervical epidural injections, a long needle is advanced into the epidural space near the spinal cord. If the physician’s technique is poor, or imaging guidance is inadequate, the needle can penetrate the cord itself.

Injecting medication directly into the spinal cord can cause permanent, life altering damage. That is not a “known complication” in the sense of something that happens even when everything is done correctly. It is almost always a sign something went very wrong with the technique.

Case Example: Epidural Injection That Resulted in Severe Neurologic Injury

I have handled multiple cases involving cervical epidural injections gone wrong.

In two separate cases:

  • The pain management physician advanced the epidural needle through the spinal cord
  • Medication was injected directly into the cord

The results were devastating:

  • One gentleman developed what we call monoplegia. His arm was permanently paralyzed.
  • The other patient suffered profound neurologic deficits, including severe functional limitations that affected every part of her life.

These were not emergency procedures. They were elective, outpatient pain management treatments, performed in ambulatory surgery centers by doctors who should have been skilled and cautious.

When you weigh the elective nature of the procedure against the severity of the harm and the mechanism of injury, it is exactly the type of situation where a malpractice analysis is warranted.

Contact Our Florida Medical Malpractice Lawyers

If you believe you were harmed by medical negligence, contact Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation. We have offices in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, and we serve clients throughout Palm Beach County, Broward County, and nearby communities.

Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers, Boca Raton Office
7000 W Palmetto Park Rd #500
Boca Raton, FL 33433
(561) 510-7892

Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers, Fort Lauderdale Office
200 S.E. 6th Street #203
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954) 287-0566

Hollander Law Firm Accident Injury Lawyers, West Palm Beach Office
319 Clematis St #203
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(561) 556-7873