What Is Considered Epidural Injection Malpractice?

Gregg Hollander | April 14, 2026 | 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.

What Is Considered Epidural Injection Malpractice?

Epidural injection malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider fails to meet the accepted standard of care during the administration of an epidural injection, and that failure results in injury to the patient. In these cases, the provider’s actions are considered negligent because a reasonably careful medical professional would have acted differently under similar circumstances.

Epidural injection malpractice may include situations such as improper needle placement that causes nerve damage or spinal cord injury, administering the wrong medication or incorrect dosage, failing to properly monitor the patient for complications such as infection or epidural hematoma, and failing to obtain informed consent before performing the procedure. It may also involve not recognizing or responding to warning signs of serious complications in a timely manner, which can lead to permanent injury or worsening medical outcomes.

In general, epidural injection malpractice is defined by three key elements: a deviation from the standard of care, a resulting injury, and a direct connection between the provider’s negligence and the harm suffered by the patient.

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