I had one a week ago (major lower back pain) and it appears to be wearing off. Anyone else have an epidural for lower back pain? Did it help? If so, for how long?
If you are referring to epidural steroid injections, I’ve had two, about a year apart. The first one lasted about a month. The second, about three months. There was MRI proven inflammation. IMO it really depends upon what the basic problem is. I’ve got about 35 degrees of lumbar rotated scoliosis with four herniated discs. I’ve also take systemic steroids three times, the last about two years ago. The best pain relief came from gradual increase in yoga, a stomach rotting anti inflammatory called ketorolac, and use of a corset. Narcotics make me sleepy and constipated, the muscle relaxers only occasionally seem to help, and you really do get used to it. Personally I’m not a surgical candidate, chiropractic is out of the question, and if I hadn’t found the magical yin yoga instructor acupuncture would have been next. There ARE spinal conditions that can be helped by DC and surgery- just not me.
Thanks to you, The Holdsworth Effect.
I can’t remember if you’re the same person who was asking about ESIs a few weeks ago, but if not, yes, I’ve had a few, both lumbar and cervical.
That you had any specific symptom relief is encouraging as it more or less says “Yep, the spot they think is a problem actually is a problem.” The relief from the lidocaine will be pretty short-lived, but the steroid will continue to have some effect for a while longer. My neurosurgeon seemed to think that the primary benefit of ESIs is diagnostic, but then if you’re bad enough to have climbed the ladder, so to speak, to be in his office, there’s a better than even chance you’re a surgical candidate.
None of the ESIs I’ve had were particularly effective past lunchtime on the next day, but my problems are bad enough that I ended up with some microdiskectomies, a cervical disk replacement and a two-level lumbar fusion.