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I used to get the pain shots in my back. They worked for about a month( so-so relief). They allowed them every 3 months. I got 8 shots in 2 years. the last couple of shots did not help at all. My pain worsened,especially left leg pain. I went back to my neurosurgeon(he fixed 2 discs in two seperate surgeries). He looked at my current MRI and told me to lie down for 6 months! He stated nothing can be fixed surgically, and rest should reduce the pain. I told him I cant lie down for six months as I have a house, car, and 3 kids + a wife to support.  "My employer won't keep me, I'll lose everything  I've worked for". He repeated the lie down line and gave me a prescription for antidepressants "as these aren't the happiest times". I left and felt hopeless. I knew I couldn't "lie down for6 months". I did a little researchand found a doctor for a 2nd. opinion. The 2nd. doctor looked at the MRI, and in about ten seconds said "here is your problem". It was scar tissue not from the 2 laminectomies, but from all those pain clinic shots. The 2nd. doctor said "they didn't use flouroscopy when they gave you those shots did they". I said "no". "Giving those shots blind is hit and miss,  for optimum pain relief you need flouroscopy,as well as to reduce scar tissue"  he said. I had a surgery that included removing as much scar tissue as possible, and adding a membrane to put between the scar tissue and whatever. My left leg pain was gone!   Anyways- If those pain shots help, by all means get them. Just make sure they aren't causing you more problems in the long run. My first doctor should have referred me to a doctor like I found myself. Just because he isn't up to date, or able to perform the surgery I needed, does not mean he should tell patients to lie down for 6 months. My surgery with the new doctor to remove the scar tissue wasn't a  new and unknown procedure. Get edjucated before having anything done! Get a 2nd opinion-or a 3rd. if you want!  I probably would have hed 1 surgery instead of 3 if I did some research and found a doctor with more up to date techniqes, than the old school one I chose.

                                                                                                        Sean

 I changed my chair last year and got one with a lower back, my back is now killing me, advise to anybody thinking of getting a low back chair, think twice!

scipilot:

 I changed my chair last year and got one with a lower back, my back is now killing me, advise to anybody thinking of getting a low back chair, think twice!

Hello Scipilot,

It's funny you say this because I have a high back and it doesn't help me at all. My back hurts all day every day. I was thinking about trying the low back, to see if their would be a differentes.

 

Hey Sean,I have a serious rare disorder of the spine. It is called spinal adhesive arachnoiditis. It is scar tissue around the nerve roots.They say mine is from surgical scarring! I go to a pain clinic,and I have talked to the surgeon that did my first lamenectomy. I have had numerous  shots to the lumbar spine some blind ,some with flouroscopy.A bunch.The problem with this condition is that the scar tissue has gone from the epidural fibrosis to arachnoidits,which is the second membrane of the spinal cord.Sean ,next time you see the surgeon will you ask him about this disease.No Doc's will touch me because they say it would only get worse! No way out!! Thanks Sean for your post...Nicoletti.

Sean, when you say pain shots, can you tell me more about what you mean?  I had one epidural nerve block for my C-spine some years ago which didn't help at all.  When I see my orthopedist later this month (after an updated L-spine MRI), I will be considering facet joint injections in my L-spine, and possibly injections to my SI joints.  Are these the type of injections you mean?

I am concerned about what you say because right now these injections are all I have left short of surgery, and with multi-level weakness, I don't want to go that route.

What questions should I be asking of the doctor?

WOW...the injections were the source of your problems...unreal!! My husband has a herniated disk in his lumbar spine....didn't really bother him until about 2 years ago. The pain becomes almost unbearable for him, and then he takes it out on me. He's seen 3 Rheumatologists and 2 Neurosurgeons. They want to give him pain meds (for a while) and at least the meds helped him get thru a day at his job. He's a machinist....up on his feet all day long, bending over a lathe to make parts, etc. By the time he gets home, the pain pill has long worn off, and he's bitchy....OMG!! OK, he's had 3 epidurals. The 1st did nada....the 2nd helped a tad.....now with the 3rd, it's helping a bit. He just had it Friday afternoon. They used the fluroscopy deal. Out patient surgery. Each doc has told him that surgery may or may not help him...nothing is gauranteed. Boy, that did it...he refuses to EVER have the surgery. He feels that if taking a pain pill in the AM & PM can help him get thru another day, he's fine with that....the docs are not. They give him just enough pain meds to start helping him, then refuse to continue him on them??? What's the point? He's been on a lot of the NSAIDS with NO relief. The Lortabs help him, so much. He gets into the hottub every night, too. He lets those jets beat on his lower back.

I get so aggrevated with these doctors....they don't want to do the surgery, refuse to continue any type of narcotic pain med....will do 3 epidurals per year....that's it.

I sympathize with anyone who has "back pain"......I have to live with it, too.

InnerGlow, those "pain shots" are Cortizone & Lidocaine. Numbs up the nerve that's really slammin' you, and the cortizone sorta bathes the nerve and calms it down....or....it's supposed to, anyway.

I've had 3 epidurals. When they did the 1st one, the disk was all ready blown out (neck) so it did nothing. The 2nd epi helped me, tremendously, with the throbbing in my right hand & thumb. The 3rd did nothing, except hurt like hell when they did the procedure. I decided right then....NO MORE!!

I have more than one chair and I find that the high back is best for sitting around, but for wheeling around and doing things the low back is better.  Of course I have problems with chronic low back pain anyway, but this has been my experience.  I have to lay flat on my back (or as flat as I can) every now and then or the low back pain gets worse.  With most chairs you can change the back if you think that would help.

Scooby