@builderthad
I had my orthopedic spine specialist/surgeon do my ACDF cervical spine surgery and lumbar surgery. Neurosurgeon and orthopedic spine surgeons are similarly trained and can do cervical and lumbar surgeries. My orthopedic doctor specializes in spine while others specialize in hip/knee, arm/hand, etc.

I have had spine injections (about 8+) and some worked better than others. They need to know exactly where to inject to give any benefit (usually use MRI and X-ray results plus X-ray to guide them). I have never been prescribed oral steroids which can have many side effects. Have you had extensive bloodwork recently that shows systemic inflammation? Have you ever been prescribed Cymbalta/duloxetine, gabapentin, pregabalin, or tramadol for pain?

It sounds like you need to make sure to get updated MRIs of cervical and lumbar spine and X-rays plus an updated EMG/nerve conduction study if the tests have been more than 6 months old.