@johnhuebert
Welcome John,
I am so sorry for what you are going through.
I feel your pain, literally.
I have the same issues with my back as you do.
I have been battling back and leg issues for many years.
Finally, it became so bad, I had to retire early.
Here is a list of what I tried.
Chiropractic adjustments
Theraputic massage
Acupuncture
Cupping
PT, land and/or aquatic
Radio frequency ablation
**Steroid injection

Frankly, nothing was really giving me sustained relief, except *steroid injections. However, it took me 5 doctors before anyone one of them actually helped. I kept changing doctors when they said they won't be able to help me.
Almost 5 years ago I moved to a new state. I tried a pain doc who was reccomended to me. He didn't even give me temporary help. I realized I needed to take matters into my own hands. I did a lot of reseach until I found the right pain doc.
This new pain doc was not close to where I live . The others were and that didn't prove anything. So, I wound up with a doc whose office is about 1 hour away with no traffic and 2 plus when there is traffic.
This doc was a blessing. For the first time in many YEARS, i found a doctor who could help me. He gave me 4 to 12 weeks without pain. Not one doc before him could give me a day or 2, if anything.
Sadly, after 5 years of treatment first on my lumber spine and then on my cervical spine, the injections stopped working. The changes in my spine were just too great. Too many things developed.
(Effectiveness of shots depended, in part, that I maintained the careful lifestyle suggested by the doctor. )
After the shots stopped helping, I decided to see a neurosurgeon. (Although some orthpedic docs can do these surgeries, i wanted a surgeon who specializes in spines. Just my preference). The research begzn to find the area est neurosurgeon who had the qualifications I was looking for. (Again a distance from my home)
We decided i had participated in all the non-surgical procedures. In February I had 2 discs replaced disks (in my cervical spine) with artificial ones. It was an outpatient surgery. The recovery was quick and the pain was minimal.
7 wdeks ago I had a surgery called, X-lift fusion on my lumbar spine. Now this was a painful surgery and HORRIBLE recovery.
Sorry for being so wordy, but I hope it helps.

Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

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