Transforaminal steroid injection...has it worked for you?

Hi Everyone,

I have had lower back pain for over 20 years and in general, I could do certain things like chiro and exercise which would keep it in check. That is until last year when my band was touring in Europe.

Every day, we would lug our gear (i'm the drummer) out of the van and onto the stage, do the gig and then load it all back out. It was a 16 date tour and about half way through, I noticed that my right leg (outside thigh near the knee) was numb. I thought that was weird but maybe it will go away by the morning...it didn't. That was over a year ago and when I got back home (Australia) I saw my chiro straight away who told me that I have done something to the L5/S1 disc.

So, to cut a long story short, he tried using a non-surgical traction table on me for about two months as well as other adjustments. Nothing seemed to work. Then I tried physio who helped with some things but the pain continued - burning in the right leg in different places, tingling toes etc.

I recently saw a neurosurgeon who said I wasn't a candidate for surgery but said I could try getting a steroid injection. I just had it yesterday at around lunchtime. It was pretty painless and very quick. For the rest of the day, I just had localized pain around where the injection was - all the other pain had pretty much gone except for the little brief flare up. I've recently (in the last week or so) developed a pain at my right hip area. That has been very annoying and painful and it didn't happen at all yesterday so I was happy that maybe things were going to get better.

Then, about an hour ago as I was walking around some shops, that new very annoying pain resurfaced. I was really ticked off as I thought that was the end of it.

Have any of you had this injection and have you noticed if the symptoms flare up briefly after the injection but go away in say a week's time?

P.S I am due for another injection on my left side next week so maybe that might help too - although I very rarely get symptoms on my left side - it's 95% on my right.

Anyway, would be interested to hear other people's experiences on this.

reply to post by Cruff


Yes I've had numerous injections and immediately following it would feel like my back was "full" is the only word that comes to mind. After that faded in a couple days there was definite improvement for a while. These injections are only temporary though and apparently there is a limit to the number you can receive.

For what it's worth chiropractic was useless for me as well as the traction devices. Physical therapy however worked wonders.

reply to post by Bassago


Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I know what you mean with the feeling i'm experiencing now around the injection area. It feels like i've done a few sets of hyperextensions at the gym or something.

I'm going to look at some other alternatives after i've had the other injection and given it time to settle. Fingers crossed that this main hip pain goes away all together though. I'm going to go back to the gym and continue my core strength and stretching exercises too.

How long did you find your symptoms were gone for after the injections? I've heard that sometimes it can work for anywhere up to 6 mths/1 year.

reply to post by Cruff


I have had the exact same injection. The initial relief is from the anesthetic injected with the steroids. The steroids themselves take a while to work. I had to have 2 shots for the relief to work. It's been about a year and a half pain free. The pain only comes back if I stress it too much. At least I can walk relatively pain free now. Best decision I ever made!

reply to post by trontech



That's great to hear! I'm hoping it was just a knee-jerk reaction when the pain came back thinking that it hasn't worked.

Was your problem due to a disc bulge or something similar? I used to pretty much only ever get localized pain in my L5/S1 area but then last year I started getting all the sciatic problems.

reply to post by Cruff


L5/S1 herniated disk, completely dry with sciatica. I couldn't walk 20 feet without extreme pain. The only way I could sleep was on my right side with my knees bent like in a fetal position. Now the pain just comes back when I'm stressing it too much.

reply to post by trontech


Ouch!!! Thankfully, mine hasn't herniated but a friend of mine's did and he had to have surgery in the end. The injection didn't help him sadly.

Really glad to hear that you have had success from it! Maybe I just have to be patient with ths I think.

reply to post by Cruff


I had a herniated L4, and had a decompression laminectomy. Now, I have a tear, and the disc is extruding into the canal facing my spinal cord. I also have a herniated L2, L3, and bulging L5. All of the discs are dessicated and appear black on MRI. I need a large lumbar fusion, but I am putting it off as long as possible.

I get up to 6 injections a year, steroid spinal epidural injections, placed at the nerve roots. I just had 2 injections one on left and one on right L4, for bilateral sciatica.

My injections usually last me a long time, up to about 6 months. I rarely have the 3rd, I save it for emergencies.

I also had a two level thoracic fusion, and a one level cervical fusion.

I just wake up, having done nothing but sleep funny, and have a new herniation, so keeping an emergency injection is vital for me.

My last two injections made life tolerable. I could barely walk, and the hip pain, especially on the right, is excrutiating. I went from walking about 10 feet to making it barely to the mailbox, having to rest, then walking back. I could stand less than a minute, to maybe about 4 or 5.

I also take 8mg dilaudid every 6 hours and soma every 8 due to disabling muscle spasms.

If it were not for the injections, I would be in a wheelchair now.

At least I can walk, some, still.

reply to post by Cruff


Oh, I meant to say, you can have some pain after the injection. My post injection instructions are bed rest the first 24 hours after the injection (I get sedation for the injection, it is too painful without), and low activity for 4 to 5 days. The injection can take 4-7 days to fully kick in. The initial relief is due to lidocaine they put in the injection itself. That wears off in about 3-4 hours.

reply to post by Libertygal


Holy Crap!!! You poor thing!! How did all of that happen if you don't mind me asking??

That sounds horrendous!

Originally posted by Cruff
reply to post by Libertygal

 

Holy Crap!!! You poor thing!! How did all of that happen if you don't mind me asking??

That sounds horrendous!

I was in a bad car accident in a Ford Taurus Wagon. I was going 50-55, and a girl blindly pulled out in front/across me. It was a near head on collision. The air bags deployed, between that and the steel I-beam construction in a Taurus, is the only reason I believe I am alive. I only had the car two weeks. I think it was meant to be that way.

The girl did not have a valid drivers' license, suspended in North Carolina and Georgia. She was, in fact, suspended when Georgia granted her license. They never should have. Needless to say, she was uninsured.

So, I paid for the accident. 8 grand to repair the car, she was 19. Her only asset, the car, was totalled. She lived at home with her mom, no job, so my insurance company refused to sue her. Instead, even though I did, and still do, have a flawless driving record, my insurance leapt to over 2k a year. Needless to say, I dropped them, I was not at fault, why should my premiums go up?! Isn't that what uninsured motorist is for?

I paid, and still do, all my medical bills myself. I do have my own insurance. I have been legally disabled for 7 years, this happened in 1993. I could have quit working, but I refuse to give up. Plus, the benefits are still better than Medicaid.

I cannot begin to describe what this has done to my life. Just the injections alone, since they are outpatient surgery, cost me in copay, 200 a shot. It went up this year to 250.

My thoracic fusion was 79 thousand. The cervical fusion was 49 thousand, and the decompression lami was 29 thousand. That is not including tests, meds, and everything leading up to now. Of course I had insurance, even though the pain was and is debilitating, these are considered elective surgeries.

And, I just got sued, again, for medical bills. Such is life.

Far out!! I'm so sorry to hear that! That is horrible indeed.

If anyone deserves to win the lottery I think it is you. I really hope that you will get some recompense for all of your pain and suffering. Bloody people with no insurance...

Certainly puts my very minimal back pain into context after hearing what you have gone through. Thanks for sharing that and I hope things get a lot better for you.