Spinal stenosis and ablations

I'm scheduled for ablation for my lower back L4-5 S1. I have severe spinal stenosis. I'm in constant pain hurts to stand and put weight on my left leg. My left side is the worst. Just wondering others experience with this procedure. The nerve block to determine the area of pain I just about flew off the table. I'm 75 yrs of age.

The block is usually the medial nerve which is the nerve that sends pain to the brain. They use X-ray during the proceedure and are able to see the nerve. Hope this is helpful to you.
https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/injections/medial-branch-nerve-blocks

Justin: I definitely agree with your decision to not get surgery. I’ve had pain in my back, hips, legs, and shoulders for fifteen years and six years ago I had back surgery hoping that I’d be getting some relief from it. After the surgery and post-surgery rehab I got a letter and a phone call from the head of the hospital where the surgery took place. The gentleman informed me that the surgeon who operated on me had made a bad mistake while operating. He apologized profusely and then advised me to hire an attorney and use him. I was stunned but followed that advice which was found in my favor and I received financial recompense. The thing is, money can’t obliterate one’s pain which I still have and it’s more severe than prior to the surgery. I see a pain management doctor once a month and I have been advised to get all sorts of treatments which I have read up on extensively and none of the treatments offered have or proven to be of long lasting benefit to anyone who has had the various treatments (mostly ablation, pain pump etc.). So I’m pretty much resigned to life long pain, taking pain meds that barely work. Sorry to be so negative.

Ablations are not a cure all as you know. I don’t believe there is a sure fire cure that instantly cures neuropathy. Those of us with disk narrowing, spine issues causing pinched nerves leading to neuropathy, etc. don’t expect any magic bullets but we keep searching like you are. Back injections help but again only temporarily and too many can cause bone destruction. At some point I have found you must come to terms with your physicality and learn to cope as best you can.

I (75) had lumbar surgery in 2015 for stenosis. My spinal cord was so narrow that the surgery was considered urgent or I would lose the use of my legs. The following few years I was better, but the surgeon warned that I would need more future surgeries, and that has proven to be true as I now have sciatica and weakness in my left leg. Shots and ablations have not helped at all.
Upon moving and visiting a new doctor it was discovered that I needed neck surgery for the same reason. The stenosis was affecting my balance. (The poor balance caused me to fall down some stairs and my quadricep tendon was severed and I spent a year recovering from that surgery). The neck surgery was completed 7 weeks ago and my balance issues are almost gone.
The next surgery will be lumbar to try to fix my very weak left leg.
My point is that depending on your personal diagnosis surgery is necessary and helpful in many cases. Several friends of mine have had several surgeries and they are now able to go hiking without pain. That is my ultimate goal.
It is essential to search for reputable surgeons first!

I've had foraminal lumbar spinal stenosis for over 10-years. I've had numerous ablations and epidural steroid injections. Nothing helped. Nothing was effective. This past March I had the MILD procedure. It also was not effective. Then I had another Epidural Steroid injection. That didn't help the pain either. Now I've been told the only option for me is the Spinal Cord Stimulator. I've been in pain for well over 10-years and it's getting worse. Now my legs are effected and I can barely walk without pain. I just don't see my life changing and I think I'll be in pain for the rest of my life.

Did you first have to go through PT, injections, etc before surgery could be considered?

Not for me since it would be temporary. I’ve accepted that my back will continue to deteriorate and my scoliosis will continue to twist my spine. It makes no sense to inflict more pain on myself than I normally have.