@karolyn You are correct. Epidural injections of steroids into the spine are not FDA approved. It will not cure anything, and can help pain temporarily. I had one in my neck, but I will not do another. I had a bad reaction to it that they called a parasthesia. That was a big electric shock stabbing pain (in my hand) caused by the pressure of the injected fluid that had no place to go. It took about 4 weeks for the pains to stop, and I had cold sensitivity in my hand from this for at least a year. You are right to question things like this and it is your choice if you do them or not. These injections can also have serious consequences like paralysis if they are injected in the wrong place. A lot of patients get them, and insurance probably would rather pay for this over surgery. My injection was $1600 and took away pre existing pain from my spine problem for only 5 days before symptoms slowly started to return (but I had the pain that the injection had caused). Physical therapy might help and building core strength is the best way to prevent spine problems. I ride my horse which does wonders for my back strength.