Anyone Ever Have a Lower Back Epidural Steroid Injection?

One of my sons goes to a Pain Management clinic and had a steroid shot a few months ago in his lower back. Didn't help at all. Last week he had one between his shoulder blades for chronic pain in his shoulder and neck. So far, that didn't help either.

The doctor is an Anesthesiologist and a DO (most of the pain doctors are) sent him for MRI's and CT scans and is doing all the right things to see what is causing the pain. In my son's case, he has spinal stenosis, DDD and lots of other problems with his back and legs, so this was his last resort.

The doctor says "we'll see if this works" - so who knows. This shot might not start working for a week, a month, who knows???? I don't know when the next shot will be, or if there will be a next shot. Meanwhile, he is on pills which help a lot more than if he wasn't on pills at all. If the shots help, then I guess they give more when they wear off. If they don't help, then I don't know who would know how long to wait before the next one, IF there is a next one. All very confusing.

IMHO, pain clinics are a last resort for patients whose doctors can't help them anymore and don't like prescribing narcotics for the long term.

You won't the shot - they put you "out" and don't let you go home for about an hour afterwards (with someone to drive you)..... He said he gets Propofol and wakes up alert, not groggy at all....

Good luck and I hope you feel better.....

ETA - he didn't have any side effects after getting the shot, but you should know that with steroids, there are side effects - cataracts for one. If you are concerned (as you should be) please do some research on the long-term side effects.

Yes I had been getting epidurals for 13 years. (And I got them cold turkey- no sedative) but they use a guided xray machine to look while they do it (make sure they do that).

Its one pinch to numb, then they inject the stuff slowly. If you are awake (like me) you feel it going down your leg and it feels like pressure)

Yes they helped A LOT until last year. Now they do NOT help anymore. But they did used to and so I HIGHLY recommend them.

I would get them 3X a year for years, and then later on (I want to say 4 yrs ago?) you could get them 4X a year. The minute Id get them they would help.

Side effects- felt flushed that night and felt the stuff running in my legs (nothing major that bothered me). The next day that was gone. I also gained 5 lbs each time from the steroids (but then lost it later and would go back up and down when I got shots or didn't).

Epidural shots mostly help with the pain that shoots down the leg but for me it also helped my back pain.

I also have had facet joint shots (where you get 6 shots at once). Those shots are specifically for the back pain (not the leg pain).

I have also had rhizotomys (sp?) where they go in with an instrument and burn the nerves. (theyre not burning burning them, its like nuking them)

To add I just found out last week I have cataracts from all the steroids BUT I have been getting shots for 13 years sooo that wont happen to you now.

If I were you Id give it a try. And I hope they help you like they used to help me! Best of luck!

Yes I have. I had to have 3 over the course of a year, but they finally did the trick and I did pretty well for probably 15yrs. I've been starting to feel like I might be ready for another one, but so far, I am managing without.

For me, the pressure of having liquid injected into a tight space made me pretty uncomfortable for a couple of days, but then got a lot better. So really, I had an increase in pain for a couple of days and then a large decrease.

Try to have it done by an anesthesiologist, they are the best. They will ask you specific questions about your pain and determine just the right spot to inject.

Make sure the anesthetic part of the shot that they use Marcaine. It's the longest lasting of the local anesthetics.

It is worth it.

On 4/20/2014 Lotus~ said:

If so....

Did it help?

If not did you go for a second one?

Did the second one help?

Did you have any side effects?

What were they? And how long did they last?

TIA

Anyone Ever Have a Lower Back Epidural Steroid Injection?

Yes I have and several of them.

For awhile the first few times but each time it lasted less and less time.

I had several but only because I was trying to avoid having another back surgery. I knew my L-3 disc was completely ruptured but was hoping this and Physical Therapy would work.

The shots I had were called a Caudal Block which was in the tailbone. I believe the Epidural is just a different name for the same thing I had years ago called Caudal Block.

.

I've had multiple caudal epidurals and lumbar epidural steroid injections. They have always worked for me. Sometimes the first one doesn't do the trick, so I encourage you to go for the 2nd and 3rd one.

I have never been sedated for any of them. That is doctor preference. The doc that I see currently doesn't feel sedation is needed. I have no issue with that.

I will be going in for a diagnostic nerve block in my neck/cervical spine on Thursday. I've never had them done in that area before.

So, nobody takes pain pills - just shots w/o being sedated. Legs flying off the table when he hits a nerve????? Really????? And you still go back to him????

YES, IN 2008. It was an epidural spinal nerve block. It is nothing remotely like a epidural -while in labor, when in labor prior to giving birth. Let me clarify that firstly. I had for some unknown reason (from a Xray/mri) showing two discs pressing against each other causing questionable inflammation. Would I have this done again? NO! The after effects out weighed the lesser of pain for such a short period of time:approximately 3 months. I could not stand upright after the procedure for over 3 hours. Only done in a procedure room usually a hospital or its equal, under careful supervision. Doctor. Nurse. Anethesiologist, M.D.- I do not advise anyone to rely on steroids. I may have turned and injured myself without knowing, but the symptoms did not arise until almost one year. As a generalized study, the second is less effective. Any age can be affected with back injuries. I do know that more people see a doctor for back pain than most of anything else. Big business.