Praying for help: Pinched nerve, got first facet shot

@vickiet I have not had these injections. I know others who have and it helps. It takes time for them to work. Wishing you the best.

I'm having my third injection today, the others have not helped. Dr is doing different medicines in the injection today, so I am praying this one works. I have bulging disc and arthritis in my lower back.

Try the website...."Backincontrol.com"

Watch the documentary....."All the Rage" on vimeo

vickiet, I had the shots in S1, L3, L4, &L5 and the results were wonderful, fantastic, magical!!! INSTANT pain relief!!! The discomfort from the injections was less than having one Flu shot. Total time was less than 10 minutes. I iced my back for 24 hours when I got home, as instructed, because everything was sore, but I'm sure we both know the difference between sore and pain. When I went for the follow-up 3 weeks later I asked my doctor if he had a medical degree, or is he had gone to New Orleans and learned Voodoo!!!! That was 6 weeks ago. I know it doesn't work for everyone, but I hope it does for you. If you're like me you've been walking hunched over so a word of caution. Because I was no longer in pain, I was able to stand up straight. I forgot that would change my sense of gravity and balance. So be careful until you get your equilibrium back. Good luck, vickiet. Please let me know how it goes. cognac01

Vicklet, Just like Cognac I also had success with facet shots in S1, L2,L3, L4 and L5. At least for awhile. It would offer me pain relief for 3 to 6 months at the beginning and then eventually they did not work anymore. About 5 years later I had to have major back surgery. I guess the surgery helped, somewhat. But the first fusion didn't take and 1 year after first surgery I had it redone. I then developed complex regional pain syndrome in my right foot and I now have excruciating pain and weakness in my right foot that is getting worse. Docs do not have any good answers for treatment of this.
So just be very aware of everything that can happen. Although many times, we don't really have any other choice. I wish you good luck with the shots!

mrector, do you know what meds your doctor used? Mine used Lidocaine and Marcaine. @cognac

@cognac that's what he used on me. They also inject contrast dye to guide the injection with x-rays

I am going for my second round of shots on Monday. The first set only gave a half hour pain relief. After this next round my doc wants to do an ablation. Has anyone had this done? Did it work?

Yes, I went through the shots (no relief) and the ablation. None of it worked. I've had 3 back surgeries and now have developed idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuropathy. So now, in addition to back and neck pain, I have the electrical shock pain and the burning pain. Such fun! I have gotten some relief for the back and neck pain from The McKenzie Method of gentle stretches. You can find some videos on YouTube that will show you how to do the stretches. I hope you find some relief and that the shots and ablation will help you. I wanted to let you know about my experiences so you can make some comparisons. We all have to be pretty tough characters to be able to endure the pain - and the misunderstanding of the general public who think if they can't see anything, then there's nothing wrong with you... sigh