I am 68 years old, have had 15 back surgeries, am fused L3-S1, have arthritis in all my lumbar facets (worse at L2/3 now), and have severe stenosis at L2/3. I have had numerous steroid injections, both epidural and facet, and have basically had zero relief. That said, I agree with the other two comments that steroid injections are the first line as they do help many people. The good thing about them is that they are both diagnostic and therapeutic because they include both lidocaine and the steroid. The lidocaine will numb the area injected, and if your pain stops, they know that they are in the correct spot for the pain. The steroid then will hopefully start reducing pain in 2-7 days with full effect in up to two weeks. Another good thing about the injections is that the steroid is localized and very little of it goes systemic so no steroid side effects vs oral steroids that are systemic. Be sure to tell the doctor if you have osteoporosis as steroids decrease bone density. Again, because the steroid is localized, the occasional injection is fine, but repeated injections can cause a temporary dip in bone density. Finally, if the lidocaine stopped your pain but the steroid did not, consider radiofrequency ablation where they burn the tiny nerve that feeds the facet. The lidocaine proved that is where your pain is, so the ablation has a very good chance of helping your pain. The drawback is that the nerve grows back, typically in 6-12 months but the range can be 3-24 months, and you have to repeat the procedure.