l4 & l5 nerve block

I have had the shot for nerves in my back. The shot doesn't compare to the pain in my back every moment of the day. The shot is tolerable and they numb the area first.

Ask your pain doc to give you a one Percocet 1 hour prior to your shot; it really helps. Then, make sure someone drives you home afterwards.

Thank you.

After the MRI's, my doctor referred me to physical therapy twice a week for 6 weeks. St the same time pain mgmt first gave me a shot to deaden the nerves. That was good for 2 days and all the pain came back. Next, was a joint block shot. It did not help at all. So now I'm scheduled for disks to be rebuilt on L-2, L-3,
L-4, L-5 and S-1. It's been a long road that I hope is almost over.
It was a process of elimination to see what was causing the pain. If yours is from arthritis, I would ask him about a joint block.
It says that if the nerve block removes 50% of the pain, then you are a good candidate for ablation. I'm 70 yrs old. I hope you have someone to be your advocate if necessary.

She can do it under anesthesia if she chooses.
At least it was offered with my doctor.

I am a 74 male with the same L4-L5 bulging discs with arthritis. A lot of pain the last 4 years. Since 2021 I have had the injections of cortizone about every 10-13 months depending on my pain. First time was a spinal block I think but not sure. The cortizone shots worked better for me. I was very happy with the shots and they lasted longer than average. I always was put under sedation for the shots.

Each year though my spine looked a bit more crooked. My last MRI showed a significant bend in the spine almost like a letter L. My last shot which was in June helped with the pain but not as good as the previous shots. My next discussion is my doctor wants me to talk to the surgeon to straighten the spine with pins. That is a big operation and long rehab afterwards. But I have read there is not guarantee that the pain will be gone after the operation and rehab. I have other health issues that might prohibit me from doing the operation at all.

So I am still pondering what to do.

I think, if it were me, I would see the neurosurgeon for a consult.
Your surgeon, cardiologist, and PCP must all be in agreement that you are a good candidate for the surgery.
Be @ peace.

I had two of these and a pain stimulator and neither one of these worked.

I am 73 with spinal arthritis and stenosis. I had two nerve blocks. I had an anesthesiologist at both procedures. BUT, they aren't giving real anesthesia, only a sedative, which does NOT block pain. It paralyzes you and makes you jittery and dizzy. I was wide awake for all the stabbing and there was plenty of screaming. They wouldn't stop and I couldn't speak or move. Get an advocate to go in the procedure with you and give them temporary health care power of attorney so they can make the doctor stop if you are in too much distress. If you do go through with the procedure, the Percocet is probably a really good idea. Get a second and third opinion from different doctors AND from an anesthesiologist who is qualified as a pain intervention specialist. Be firm and ask detailed questions. Have a witness with you during the discussion. If the doctors make fun of you for having low pain tolerance or argue that no one needs pain management for a spine shot (yes, they did that to me more than once), walk out and find another doctor. I went ahead with the procedure and I really regretted it. If they give you the usual platitude about how it's a "minor" procedure, that just means it's easier for them. You have a right to pain management, so they should make an extra effort if they are conscientious physicians. If they give you the usual platitude about the sedative making you "relaxed and comfortable" don't fall for it. It wipes your memory if they give you enough. It didn't work for me. You don't know if it will work for you. Get them to commit to checking to see if the sedative is working BEFORE they start the injections. They didn't bother to for me even though I had scheduled a special appointment a week earlier to talk to them about pain and my history of adverse medication reactions. They will inject you several times, so make them explain what they are willing to do if you are in too much pain, and make it clear to them that they must stop if you have a bad experience. Everyone is different, and every doctor is not equally skilled. Those spine injections are tricky to get right. You can't afford some doc in a hurry or too bored to care. Be careful. Good luck. You will certainly hear from people who found the whole experience simple and painless. I am glad for them, but there are more than a few people whose experiences are very different. You only need to take care of yourself. Do what you need to do if you have concerns. Only you know your history. If a doctor is close-minded, walk out.

I am 70 yrs old. Experiences are different for everyone. I schedule to use the anasthesiest for my 1st nerve block. When I walked in with a water bottle in my hand I was busted , so they would not use anesthesia because you cannot eat or drink before the procedure. I chose to go ahead and get the shots w/o any. It was bearable. When I went back for the joint block I took the shots w/o anesthesia. So, for me the experience was acceptable even though neither treatment helped and I am, now, scheduled for surgery on L-2 thru S-1 on Sept 10.