Epidural lower back spine injection recovery time/and side effects

What is MIS-TLIF?

I went from receiving my back injections in the morning and was floating in my kayak by afternoon.
I get great results from bilateral L 4/5 injections.
Im grateful and fortunate for the relief.

Hi @dd560a, I'm sorry to hear about the pain you continue to edure. Finding the underlying cause and getting treatment that works can be so hard.

@archie2, you're right that cause and effect are slippery concepts. In many cases, there is no known cause for arachnoiditis. Cause and correlation can be hard to prove.

- Adhesive arachnoiditis following lumbar epidural steroid injections: a report of two cases and review of the literature https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6357879/

Lumbar epidural steroid injections are commonly used for managing lower back pain and are generally considered safe. According to this review, adhesive arachnoiditis is a very rare complication that is frequently cited in the literature. Because it is frequently cited doesn't make it a common side effect. Doctors and patients should be aware of the potential complication when considering treatment options.

LOL - My Pain guy told me most people do this without anesthesia. I said "I'm a baby with pain" and he said "Do the anesthesia!" He didn't want me moving at all when he did this. Shot #1 did nothing at all - except the 1st 2 days were almost pain free. BUT - that was the Lidocaine, not the steroid. Yesterday he did the shot caudally, telling me it works better. His post procedure instructions say pain could be worse for a day or two - He Was Right! THe caudal shot has no Lidicaine - he said that would cause numbness & possible paralysis in legs. This has to work, and last at least 2 months, as I have a much anticipated trip to europe - 8 hours on a plane, and getting up to the Arctic circle to (hopefully) see polar bears. If pain like this, I don't know that I can handle the trip. Cancelled this same trip 5 years ago due to COvid.

I’ve had the same issues but more so after that Paid, my legs are so weak. The pain doesn’t hurt in my leg but my knees buckle. I don’t know what’s that about. I’m going back on the first week of August. I’ll let you know. I’m thinking it’s the steroid that they put in there because I also had a reaction from the steroid knows itchy all over.

Now 48 hours past the steroid shot, and my pain is certainly no better. Unfortunately, it is worse. Dr did say it could be worse for 1 - 2 days, so I am hoping I am still in that
2 day" period. I've got to be better in 2 weeks to make this long awaited, very physically active, trip.

Unfortunately, I had 5 rounds of steroid shots in my back, and it didn't work. I also had 2 spacers placed in my back, and again, it didn't work. I have given up on my local pain doctor and now have a request for an appointment with the never and spinal hospital in Huntsville, Alabama. I also recently had a nerve study done on my legs and feet, and found out I have a pinched nerve that is making it difficult to walk.

I've had the steroid epidurals many times and all have helped tremendously. I'm sorry you are experiencing pain from the steroids and yes, you are most likely allergic to cortisone. You can get a test just to see what you are allergic too. Blessing to you for relief of that pain

I have had steroid epidural injections 11 times, and they have never taken any pain away. I’m glad they do for some people but we are all different. Love talked to quite a few folks who are like me and get zero pain relief from epidural injections.

Since 2017 I had a epidural about once a year for L-4/L5 spondolethis and physical therapy and was fine. Last year I moved and had terrible pain in back and hips. My new primary did a mri and I now have a lot of stenosis compressing the nerves going to my feet and neuropathy causing sometimes unbearable pain. I went to a pain specialist and a steroid injection didn’t help at all. He then did an ablation that helped quite a bit. I still had cramping and some pain issues in my legs and feet with the neuropathy. He did several steroid injections none of the, helped. It’s important to have a good anesthesiologist do the injection and if doesn’t work know what drug they used and have them try another drug.

What has really been helping me is physical therapy doing breathing exercises as soon as I start hurting it calms the nerves, but you might need to do it several times a day, it took a good month to get relief to last a while.

I do the diaphragm breathing.
https://www.pathways.health/blog/inhale-to-heal-pain-5-breathing-techniques-to-get-you-started/