Hello, they do this in preparation to see if you respond to the bupivacaine before they do the epidural. There’s no point in doing an epidural if you’re not going to respond to the local anesthetic which is a longer acting anesthetic. If you get pain relief from the bupivacaine then they believe that you will get relief from the epidural. I have had several of these. I have arthritis up and down my back with some stenosis , bulging discs & bone spurs, etc. The list is too long to go on. So what I’m saying is basically it’s just a test to see how well you might do with an epidural. Give it a shot and see if you respond. Best of luck. Hope you feel better.