Do Steroid Shots Really Alleviate Back Pain?

S

Sly Fox

New Member
Can back pain relief be as simple as a steroid injection? The jury's still out.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/back-pain/do-steroid-shots-alleviate-back-pain-treatment.aspx

I've had many steroid injections very close to my badly twisted spine with NO Results. In fact my Pain Management Doctor had to stop giving me these Steroid Injections, as it made my blood/sugar levels go postal. Now I am trying to get my Pain Management Doctor to give me just Pain Injection Shots to block the 24/7 pain I suffer from.
 

I also have trouble with lower back pain.

I have tried the injections and they had little or no effect.

I have stopped taking pain relief tablets as they do not reduce the discomfort.

The only effective pain relief is morphine but getting your doctor to prescribe that is difficult
(It is also highly addictive) and taking it over a period of time will speed up your time on Terra Firma.

I just continue with life and try to ignore the pain (How can you show people you have back pain all the time?)

We did however purchase a special mattress (it is very heavy) and that has helped.

I have tried all the treatments including , physio and various forms of exercise.

I also purchased a unit which you strap yourself to and using balance turn your body upside down
That does help.
 
I have suffered with low back pain due to degenerative joint disease for 10 years. Four years ago, I finally went to a pain management doctor. He did rhizotomies on both of my facet joints and I was blessed with a 90 per cent reduction in pain that lasted for two years before it began to wear off..I was told that two years is an excellent outcome for this procedure, usually 6 months to a year is the average.

There are a series of steps that must be performed before you get to the rhizotomy. First, they do a steriod injection to see if you get pain relief..no dice for me. The second procedure is a nerve block to see if they are pinpointing the correct nerve, and finally, the rhizotomy, which is a procedure in which they burn the nerve they have pinpointed with the nerve block. Burning the nerve blocks the pain for a varying degree of time and effectiveness. These procedures are usually done at least two weeks apart under mild anesthesia.

There is no real pain associated with these procedures, only some mild discomfort for a couple of days. You are usually able to resume normal activity in 24 hours.

I had the procedure done again a few months ago again, and while the pain is better I have not gotten the degree of relief I did from the first go around. This might be attributed to doing some heavy work around here involving lifting after the procedure (I never learn), a different doctor or possibly further degeneration in my spine. I plan to have this done again before the year is up.

A word of caution. If you are interested in this procedure please check out the pain management doctor thoroughly to make sure he is board certified and has done many of these procedures. Pain management doctors are usually anesthesiologist by specialty and should be board certified in pain management.

Recently, I have begun to have some sciatica pain and I let my PM doctor talk me into a steroid injection in the sacrolliac joint. I have had the shots in my knee and back before with zero effectiveness, and it was true this time also.. I knew better, but when you're in pain sometimes one will try anything for relief.
 
I have had multiple spinal surgeries over the years, the first in 1985. I still have ongoing procedures in the hope of alleviating some of my constant chronic pain. Due to taking large doses of oral medications over the years, my body has built up a tolerance to them and as they no longer work, I don't take any. I have had several lots of steroid injections into both my cervical spine and my lumbar spine. The latest lot were done only two months ago...I had ten injections into my lumbar spine and then another lot the same, two weeks later. Sadly, as with other times, they did nothing.
The only thing that happened was, I had a massive reaction to the dye they injected first and on both occasons, I had to be raced to the local hospital ER where I spent the whole night, both times.
Ten years ago, my neurosurgeon prescribed Pethidine/Promethazine injections...I have my own and my wife gives me a jab when I can no longer tolerate the pain. I have never had any problems getting a prescription as this is the only form of pain relief that works for me...it only lasts for a day or so (the Promethazine prolongs the effects of the Pethidine) but I clutch at any relief I can get.
As for being addictive, there is no way one can become addicted if the drug is being used for genuine chronic pain relief...after ten years, I am living proof of that and my neurosurgeon and doctor both say the same thing. Also, when I'm in hospital, they give me a shot every six hours and the same thing is said, no addiction if used for genuine pain. In fact, the exact opposite, I hate having them as they are very painful (one and a half inch long intramuscular needle) and with the scar tissue in my thighs and bum, it's hard to find a spot were it doesn't hurt to stick the needle in.
I now use a wheelchair for pretty much any walking other than around the house or very short walks and feel I will eventually end up in it permanently.
The pain forces me into bed every day at a round 2-4pm as I can no longer cope with it. I restrict the injections to about once every two to three weeks. Not that I don't need them, it's just I don't want to build up a tolerance to them.
As for the steroids, forget them for chronic pain, in my opinion, it's a stall tactic used by my neurosurgeon...he won't operate until I lose more use of my limbs, he seems totally incapable of doing anything for my pain.
I have also spent seven months in the Adelaide Hospital Pain Clinic and another twelve months with another pain clinic, they were no help at all.



 
Your condition is far worse than mine.

Looking at me you would have no idea of the level of pain I have to put up.

When I mentioned addiction I was referring to taking Morphine on a daily basis.

After a period the dosage would have to be elevated and that would be the beginning of the end.

You must have a good relationship with your doctor and regular follow up testing if you are taking Pethidine Hydrochloride

As you probably know it has a number of side effects.

In fact over here it is not recommended for severe continuing pain
 
Morphine is the recommended drug for continuous use, (daily, etc) Pethidine is the best for intermittent use to control recurrent bad onset of pain. I asked my doc about going on to Morphine but she said as I was only having an injection once every 2 - 3 weeks, Pethidine was the way to go...
I have had a few different doctors over the last 10 years as well as three different neurosurgeons and all have prescribed Pethidine.
Never had an issue as they have learned to trust mine and my wife's judgement re taking the drug, They had us around the surgery, in the early days, to teach us how to do the injections...if I was going back every week for another script, things would be different. I can only get 5 injections at the time on a script.
All drugs have side effects...the oral ones I was taking were shocking...I now feel almost drug free apart from the injections as I take no regular drugs at all and feel much better for it. When I was on regular oral stuff, I was permanently like a zombie, had to stop driving as I fell asleep while driving one day...luckily on a straight stretch of road...!!!
Had no energy at all and no interest in doing anything...now, I come home pretty sick after being out, but at least I can still function even in a limited way...this was impossible when I was on all the oral stuff.
While I can no longer do my sport, archery, I still do a bit of coaching and run the occasional beginner's course...I also run a group over at my Car Club on Tuesday mornings, "Dad's Army" I organise the Club's maintenance, plumbing, engineering, painting, gardening, etc, etc.
My main interest, and the thing I can still do, is my photography...without it I'd be lost...
 
Archer, Compared to you my pain is a dull toothache. However, pain is relative to the person having it, and I know that I would give anything to be pain free again.

Since I had the gastrointestinal bleed last week (likely not related to medication), I have not taken any pain relievers. I was taking up to 1000 mg of Naproxen daily and had cut myself down to 250-500 mg's daily before the incident. I also have prescripsts for Hydrocodone and Soma, which I rarely take unless it is direly necessary.

Today, I am feeling very stiff and painful, but I am also still weak and tired from the blood loss last week and haven't been moving around much, which, for me aggravates the stiffness and pain. When I am stiff and every move is painful it's hard to get myself motivated to do much of anything. The brain is willing, but the body is unco-operative, like a recalcitrant child who won't do anything you ask unless you threaten.
A lot of pain relief, as you have found is through trial and error, and what works for one may not work for another. This goes for medication as well as management.

I am in awe of you trying to keep up the activities you enjoy on at least some level, given your condition. It takes a lot to keep motivated when you're in pain!

Oh, and how about posting some of those pictures to show us your photography talent!


images

I'm a 7 today!
 
Ozarkgal said:
Archer, Compared to you my pain is a dull toothache. However, pain is relative to the person having it, and I know that I would give anything to be pain free again.

Since I had the gastrointestinal bleed last week (likely not related to medication), I have not taken any pain relievers. I was taking up to 1000 mg of Naproxen daily and had cut myself down to 250-500 mg's daily before the incident. I also have prescripsts for Hydrocodone and Soma, which I rarely take unless it is direly necessary.

Today, I am feeling very stiff and painful, but I am also still weak and tired from the blood loss last week and haven't been moving around much, which, for me aggravates the stiffness and pain. When I am stiff and every move is painful it's hard to get myself motivated to do much of anything. The brain is willing, but the body is unco-operative, like a recalcitrant child who won't do anything you ask unless you threaten.
A lot of pain relief, as you have found is through trial and error, and what works for one may not work for another. This goes for medication as well as management.

I am in awe of you trying to keep up the activities you enjoy on at least some level, given your condition. It takes a lot to keep motivated when you're in pain!

Oh, and how about posting some of those pictures to show us your photography talent!


images

I'm a 7 today!
Click to expand...

I'll post a few in the Entertainment Section....
 
This doctor was a guest on the coast to coast radio show, and he had some interesting thoughts on eliminating chronic pain from various causes using diet, exercise and the mind.

He's a spine surgeon, and was saying how many people have multiple surgeries on their spines that are not needed, and often do more harm than good.

He also told about how many people have sections of their spine fused, only to have the area above and below the fusion become weak and cause even more pain and surgeries. He said it was a surgery-induced injury to the body.

He's selling a book with some advice about getting rid of chronic pain, and not just related to the spine. He also mentioned migraines, fibromyalgia, muscle pain, etc...http://www.back-in-control.com/
 
Sly Fox said:
Can back pain relief be as simple as a steroid injection? The jury's still out.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/back-pain/do-steroid-shots-alleviate-back-pain-treatment.aspx

I've had many steroid injections very close to my badly twisted spine with NO Results. In fact my Pain Management Doctor had to stop giving me these Steroid Injections, as it made my blood/sugar levels go postal. Now I am trying to get my Pain Management Doctor to give me just Pain Injection Shots to block the 24/7 pain I suffer from.
Click to expand...

I suffer with chronic pain due to "blown" discs in my neck, and had a doctor try to talk me into epidural steroid injections.

I absolutely refused the treatment.

First of all, the injections were approved for injection below the thorax but doctors have been trying them all up and down the spine. People have developed scar tissue inside the spinal canal, and a local woman actually died from her injections, a couple of years ago. The medical community has had to reevaluate these injections as they have been linked to paralysis.

"“We used to say this is so safe,” said James Rathmell, chief of pain medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a member of the advisory group, who alerted the FDA to cases of such shots causing harsh complications. “It is a very rare event, but it is not zero, and it’s devastating.”

Apparently, the rise in doctors performing these injections is the direct result of doctors being paid big money for each injection.

Doctors can learn the technique in a weekend seminar, then begin performing these injections on Monday!

AS I said, I refused the treatment, opting to stick with my oral medications - morphine and muscle relaxants.

Treatment results are sketchy. One person experiences relief, assuming there are no complications, while another person finds their pain levels increase 10 fold. This is hardly an acceptable record for a treatment that is so dangerous.
 

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