TWO Queenslanders became paraplegic and a third was left with incomplete tetraplegia almost immediately after each had one injection of steroids meant to relieve their pain.

Former personal assistant Jane Watson, 61, of Brisbane and Cairns accountant Brad Wszola, 45, are now dealing with life in a wheelchair as a result of epidural steroid injections.

Graeme Foster, 47, of Brisbane, can no longer work as an electrician and has to do a desk job, after suffering a spinal stroke from a guided nerve root injection.

He immediately had paralysis in his left leg and both arms and has incomplete tetraplegia.

Ms Watson and Mr Foster had the steroid injections at different radiology practices in Brisbane in the same week in 2014, while Mr Wszola was injected with the same steroid in Cairns in 2016.

Mr Foster is suing the radiologist who injected him for five million dollars and law firm Maurice Blackburn is investigating the cases of Ms Watson and Mr Wszola.

Ms Watson, Mr Wszola and Mr Foster all say they now have much more pain than before they had the injections.

They are speaking out to warn others of the rare but real risks of serious and lifelong complications, including paraplegia, from nerve root injections involving certain steroids.

“If we can stop anyone else having this happen to them, it will be worth it,’’ Mr Foster said.

Margaret Brain of Maurice Blackburn said an injectable steroid hormone, commonly known as betamethasone or Celestone, had been shown to have been used in each of the cases.

It is used to treat pain and inflammation in the neck and back.

“This drug has been linked in a small but significant number of cases to extremely serious complications, including temporary and permanent paralysis,’’ Ms Brain said.

“It is thought that particles in the injectables can block small arteries in the body, denying blood supply to the spine, thus causing a stroke in the patient.’’

Ms Brain said despite a number of warnings, it was concerning that the drug was still being used.

“This is particularly the case as an alternative steroid preparation, dexamethasone, is freely available and has been shown to be equally as effective,’’ she aid.

There are no published reports that dexamethasone, a non-particulate steroid, has caused stroke.

In 2012, an article in a Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists’ publication warned of the risks of lumbar nerve root sleeve injection, including paraplegia.

It said this rare risk was thought to be caused by unintentional injection of one of the arteries branching from an artery supplying the spinal cord, and use of particulate steroids.

In late 2014, RANZCR warned radiologists of the “small though real risk of neurological injury’’ after selective nerve root block.

RANZCR president Dr Greg Slater said nerve root injections with particulate steroids were still common in Australia, but permanent paralysis was a rare complication.

“Mostly the injection works well, but not all the time,’’ Dr Slater said.

He was aware of “a small number’’ of other Australian patients, as well as others overseas, who had experienced paraplegia or tetraplegia from nerve root injections with particulate steroids.

Dr Slater said patients should be informed of risks and it would be a “very wise thing’’ for radiologists to first inject a dye or anaesthetic, before a particulate steroid.