How often are the steroid epidurals and is it a really big relief? Involved in agriculture so I stay active with cattle and hay but some days are really painful. Doctors talk about bone on bone in different parts of my body and am hoping to try something.
Um... it's hard to say how much they're helpful. I say that for these reasons. I have the 3mm to 6mm disc bulging, and that's not going away. Also, my job unfortunately requires me to have high desk time, and that exacerbates it significantly.
HEre's the thing... if I don't do them... then I'll be more inclined to down a crap-ton of Advils... BUT.. after recently learning I have a Hiatal hernia where stomach meets esophagus, and that's caused Barret's Esophagus. I've seen the pics from the endoscopy and during that episode that made me seek Emergency care... it was very red and raw in there, and my Pain Mgmt Doc (the one that gives me the injections) she harps on how bad the high levels of Advil I was taking is for you.
I look at it like this, it's highly likely once things finally advance enough that surgery to do a fusion or micro discectomy becomes necessary, I'll probably have to kiss most mountain hunting goodbye. Also.. if I let this Barret's Esophagus issue get outta hand, that irritation can lead to Esophageal Cancer over time. So I view getting the injections as helping me to avoid taking as much OTC NSAIDS.
So... I'm trying to pick choices that buy me the most amount of time. For the moment. And with these tricky issues, for me, it seems like the best choice ATM. So it can lower my dependence on NSAIDS. (I also take Celebrex everyday, it's Rx'd and is supposed to be a lot easier on your stomach than most others, if I remember right what the pharmacist said.
Just for backstory... when I was a kid, I caught Rheumatic Fever (aka Scarlet Fever) in which the virus hides in places in such a way that it makes your bodies immune system attack and hurt itself, trying to get over the virus. Resulting in Joint issues, and sometimes Heart Valve Damage. Luckily I didn't have Heart Valve Damage. Luckily I weight-trained heavily up til about 45yo, then things started ripping and tearing on me from pushing it, so had to take it back several notches. I loved riding dirtbikes, and them comes with crashes and one trip over the handlebars back in '95 is what caused the underlying damage I have. Luckily at the time I was training like a beast, otherwise I'm certain I'd have broken a lot of things back there. Just the sound of my spine smacking hardpack I thought for sure my back was gonna be broken. It wasn't... BUT... everything from tailbone to all of butt... in 30minutes turned black yellow green purple, you get the picture. Also one vert kicker jump kicked me sideways in a very striaght up and down jump. Was a new bike I was making payments on at the time and didn't wanna land all sideways like that and mess it up... so stuck out my leg. I DID right myself that way on the landing, but it jammed my leg into the socket. So the lower back and the hip jam thing are what precipitated this issue, mostly. Also a couple times of DeadLifts, rounding my back a lil aggravating that area too.
If you're not tooo bad right now? If the pharmacies that have it in your area, I'd recommend first giving a try to taking an Rx for Ketoprofen. That stuff as I say "Allowed me to keep being Superman" in terms of MtnBiking and Offroad DirtBikes for quite awhile. Of all of them I think that one was the best in terms of at least alleviating. But, they will want you to take a Blood Liver workup every so often because some people, a small percentage of population, will develop liver toxicity from it, and have to try something else. Also not all pharmacies will carry it, so that could put a hamper on being able to use it. I'm assuming just because other offerings are probably being marketed harder or something.
I have to bring Advil and Tylenol #3's with me everytime I go into Alpine/Steep terrain. From what I gather, my periformis nerve trunk line is likely becoming pinched at both the vertebral facet joints, and also at the spot where it turns in at the pelvis. At the end of my more brutal Hikeouts, I can feel pretty hobble on that ones sides lower back and hip. These days I try to just stay ahead of the inflammation with the injections and then like now only taking like 2 Advils at a time if I feel it's need so I can stay below the rev-limiter of this Barret's Esophagus problem I also have. So I don't get the acid reflux, since my stomach's sphincter valve up on the top doesn't seal up/close up as micely as it should.
I know you probably wanted some kind yes/no answer... but ya really gotta kinda judge for yourself which of the stages you're at.
I'll say this, make sure you have good insurance if you're gonna do the shots. Even with PPO I still get a bit of a bill from those injection procedures.