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Anyone had steroid injections into the lumbar area? Relief? How long?
Recently I had X-rays and MRI of the lower back after about a very severe pain for weeks. The diagnosis was osteoarthritis and moderate to severe degeneration of L4, L5 and S1. I can't control the pain somewhat with medications but do not like taking too much of these. My orthopedist has suggested I try steroid injections which may give relief for up to 6 months, but if the relief turns out to be short-term it is not a good option. Has anyone had the steroid injections into the lumbar area? If so, what were the results and how long did the relief last? I am 78 years old and have been very active all my life, and maybe this is the problem. The only other option suggest it was Fusion but I had rather stay away from that as long as I can.
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@jetrob
Two surgeons I consulted wanted me to get the epidural injection as a diagnostic test to see which levels of my spine are causing pain. How frequent can you get them because I had one epidural in March and another one July 10th and now they want me to have another one. Are those too close together and would cause damage to my bones? Research is don't seem to really care about that.
@nycmusic I have severe spinal stenosis and have been advised only remedy is fusion surgery. Last week I met with orthopedist to see if he could offer any other options to help with the pain. I’ve tried Gabapentin and Pregabalin but neither helped so I’m sticking with Extra Strength Tylenol which may help minimally. Orthopedist gave me a script for lidocaine patches. I tried them but didn’t notice any benefit. Having said that though, I think each person is different and even our ailments are not exactly the same even with the same diagnosis. So we are going to react to remedies in different ways. The same applies to the injections. I had a neighbor who told me he had one injection years ago and never needed another one (how wonderful is that?). I had several that helped a lot but last couple haven’t done much. I’m going to try one more and see how that goes but can’t get it until Nov as there are no sooner openings.
So the moral to my long post is that the pain patches may help you even though they didn’t help me.
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1 Reaction@loonylady you have tried many things….pain can be so hard to control…if something doesn’t work, try something else…..i feel good if I can manage it and live most of my life well…I keep looking for ways to help it, including osteopathy and the Rosen method, and try to do simple exercises and walks whenever I can…and I do learn from people on this site.wishing you all possible relief !
@annie1 I can't really give advice as my problem happened over a 5 year period of getting injections to help me continue working. As I mentioned the colder months required injections every 3 months and I would space out the others at longer intervals. These were all in my lumbar spine.
I have had problems with L4 L5 and S1 and i had 3 back injections and they didn't help at all so I have been on oxycontin and oxycodone for probably about 5 years now. The pain meds have helped a lot with the pain but they don't help anymore I guess I got used to the dose I have been on I am looking to try something else I am 74 years old
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2 Reactions@nycmusic Yes, I’ve tried a few things but like you, I’m always looking for something else that might help. I also went to a chiropractor but when he looked at my last MRI and said he didn’t feel he could help me. Right now I’m going to PT and orthopedist agreed that was a good idea. I know it won’t cure anything but it might help strengthen my mid section and thus help support my back.
I, too, can get around except for about the first hour of the morning when I can’t stand straight. But other than that I shouldn’t be complaining. I’m very blessed to get around as well as I do at 82.
And being on this forum makes me realize how so many are far worse off than me but they’re still plugging without complaints. Best wishes to you in your search for answers.
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6 Reactions@chuckiepoo1 I've had 3 injections of steroids in my spine. I believe they are mixed with some type of numbing medication also, don’t remember exactly. I just know for me, I seemed to get no relief. I wanted it to work, it wasn’t that painful of a procedure. It just wasn’t working for me. I’ve heard that it does help some individuals, I thought I had to try. ✨🙏✨
@loonylady nice post, and I’m glad to meet you here…PT is helping me strengthen and lengthen tight muscles…the therapist has a lot of osteopathic training and our sessions are uniquely designed for my problems. The breathing exercises help a lot…when we feel pain, we don’t do those wonderful long breaths enough…i can even ‘follow my breath’ calmly on a bus ! Opening up tight ribs is something we work on a lot—probably many people experience that tightness.