Nerve injury is an uncommon side effect of spinal or epidural injections. Nerve injury is often only transient. Permanent nerve injury that results in paralysis (loss of function of one or more limbs) is extremely uncommon. Additional numbers are provided at the end of this section. Studies have shown that the risk of developing permanent nerve damage due to a needle puncture is approximately 1 in 10,000 for epidurals and 1 in 250,000 for spinal injections. These figures should help patients understand that the risk of developing permanent nerve damage following these procedures is very low. In addition to the extremely low rate of permanent injury, many studies have shown that most injuries recover within a few months if patients receive adequate treatment. In fact, many patients who develop temporary nerve damage from injections will experience complete recovery of sensation and muscle control within six months. However, since most patients do not seek medical attention until several weeks or months after the incident occurred, it's difficult to determine how many people are left with long-term effects. The best way to prevent nerve injury is by using proper technique. If you don't use enough local anesthetic, you'll need to inject more deeply which increases your risk of hitting nerves. Also, make sure the tip of the needle is beveled in order to reduce the risk of causing nerve damage.