I was told my spondylosis is inherited, but now has progressed to spondylolisthesis because no doctor chose to treat it. Now the entire spine is herniated and bulging and they won't fx anything. I am 75 and wish I would have pushed doctors earlier in the deterioration to fix it. Get educated and have the worthless doctors fix it. Now I live in constant pain and can only take Tylenol. Very painful if it slips out of place.

@cindymattern
Spinal injections don’t work for everyone but I have had about 6-7 of them and they would work for 3-4 months at first but then stopped working. I ended up getting decompression and fusion of L3-L5 due to significant pain/weakness and numbness and neurogenic claudication. I’m 55 and female and dealt with worsening pain for 12 years and finally decided to get the surgery after injections stopped working and I could not stand or walk without my feet going numb.

Hi Cindy,

Sorry for what you're going through. I've been through it myself.

There seem to be two things going on - the spondylosis, which is degeneration of the discs between vertebrae. That can cause or contribute to sciatica, a pain down the back side of one leg and buttocks. This happens when the degenerated disc puts pressure on the sciatic nerve.

You also indicate you have a bulging (not ruptured) disc. An epidural should help with both conditions you describe, and reduce inflammation. Bulging discs usually shrink back to their normal size, especially with the epidural (cortisone) that will relieve some inflammation.

I could go into more detail, but these seem to be your immediate issues with L4 and L5. I would give the epidural a try and see if that gives you relief (and hopefully solves your pain problem for at least a while).

I hope this helps, and I wish you the best. Another good thing to do is apply ice to your lower back.

All the best.

Joe