epidural

adjective epi·du·ral \ ˌe-pi-ˈd(y)u̇r-əl \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of epidural

: situated upon or administered or placed outside the dura mater

epidural anesthesia

an epidural abscess

Recent Examples of epidural from the Web

Your doctor may also recommend more advanced treatments, such as anti-inflammatory injections, epidural injections, and electrical spinal cord stimulation, which can help reduce or block back pain at its source.

— paige mclaughlin, Philly.com, "Q&A: How can I manage my back and neck pain without opioid medications?," 7 Apr. 2018
Other times, administration of pain relief such as an epidural anesthetic can help.

— julie mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, "Joy-Anna Duggar Gave Birth in a Hospital Instead of at Home: Why Home Births Can Be Risky," 7 Mar. 2018
Like so many folks who have experienced continued back pain, I was faced with the choice of surgery, an epidural injection, or physical therapy.

— david becker, Philly.com, "Training for Broad Street Run? Here's how to avoid back pain," 28 Feb. 2018
There are many non-surgical options that can be tried such as medications, physical therapy, neuromuscular therapy and epidural steroid injections.

— dr. harlan selesnick, miamiherald, "Patient in severe pain from extruded disc. Is surgery the only treatment? | Miami Herald," 23 Feb. 2018
An epidural is an anesthetic that numbs your pain from the waist down, per the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

— korin miller, SELF, "Twitter Is Freaking Out After This Woman Finished Her Finals While She Was in Labor," 19 Dec. 2017
Heberprot-P, which contains recombinant human epidural growth factor (EGF), is injected deep into the wound and essentially creates a non-diabetic micro-environment in the foot that aids in healing.

— mimi whitefield, miamiherald, "Cuba exports medicine to dozens of countries. It would like the U.S. to be one of them," 14 Dec. 2017
Ultimately, the decision to get an epidural or not should be up to you.

— korin miller, SELF, "Does an Epidural Actually Slow Down Labor?," 23 Oct. 2017
The study, in Obstetrics & Gynecology, randomized 400 women in labor to receive either a standard epidural anesthetic or a saline solution in an identical container.

— nicholas bakalar, New York Times, "Epidurals Do Not Prolong Labor," 10 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epidural.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of epidural

1882

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

epidural

noun

Definition of epidural

: an injection of a local anesthetic into the space outside the dura mater of the spinal cord in the lower back region to produce loss of sensation especially in the abdomen or pelvic region

See epidural defined for English-language learners