@workswithclay29 I am betting your pain management specialist will not do both procedures at the same time.

I was told that if the cortisone injections worked, even for one day, that the RFA would be effective. My brother in law was told the same. If I were in your shoes, I would first have the lumbar RFA as that issue is affecting your sleep and might be the cause of your leg cramps. Although I am not happy with the results of the RFA on my neck, I would consider the procedure on my lumbar but done by a different physiatrist with a proven track record.

For my neck, I have found I had to give up doing jigsaw puzzles as one must look down at the puzzle to do it. That was causing me a lot of pain and as much as I miss the activity, I don't miss the pain and it was just something I needed to give up. I find gardening is another activity which aggravates the neck issue. Think about how your head pitches forward when you are kneeling or bending at the waist to weed or plant. I suspect your sculpting might pitch your neck in a similar direction and might be the trigger for some of your pain. Some physical therapy to strengthen your neck might be helpful. But in actuality, as we age, we need to adjust our activities to protect our bodies and if NOT doing something gives pain relief, that should be our first line of defense.

There are Lidoderm pain patches available. Script strength is 5% and I have found they are amazingly helpful in backing off the pain. OTC the patches are available at 4% which seems darn close to 5% but in actuality are 20% lower in strength. Maybe your Dr. can prescribe the 5% for you. The patches can be cut to the size you need. I cut mine into 6 smaller patches.

I think the "active child's pose" is giving you some space between the vertebrae so your lumbar nerves aren't getting pinched. You have a physical situation going on and by providing some space, you are adjusting the physical situation. I do this stretch every day and now am able to go weeks without the cramping but every so often . . . and then I know I need to get down on the floor and stretch again, that something is "off".

I don't know anything about ingesting acidic drinks or salt mixtures so really can't comment but it would seem the lemon and the baking soda would offset each other as one is acid and the other basic.

Good luck with your decision making. When are you scheduled for your RFA's?