What is the difference between lumbar anesthesia and epidural injections

Lumbar anesthesia and epidural anesthesia are both intravertebral anesthesia, a type of local anesthesia

Epidural anaesthesia is the injection of a medicinal solution into the epidural cavity (the potential cavity between the dura and the ligamentum flavum), and the diffusion of local anesthetics anesthetizes the nerve roots that penetrate the intervertebral foramen in this cavity. The amount of drug used is 5 to 10 times greater than in lumbar anesthesia, with a slower onset of action (15 to 20 minutes), no damage to the dura mater, and no post-anesthetic headache reaction. The epidural cavity is not connected to the cranial cavity, and the level of drug injection can be as high as the cervical spine without paralyzing the medullary vital center. If a catheter is placed, repeated drug injections can prolong the anesthesia time. Epidural anesthesia can anesthetize the sympathetic nerves, resulting in peripheral vasodilation and myocardial depression, causing a drop in blood pressure.