Gina - after three to four years of pain, last November went in for the shots. They can give you three in the series over a one year period. Had x-rays and a scan, then they give you 'twi-light sleep' before injecting. In my case he injected in three different places with the first of the series. That was on a Wedsnesday, and as he said, I'd go home and sleep the rest of the day. Woke up Thursday Pain Free - first time in years. That first series is now starting to wear off, so I'll probably be heading in shortly for another round, this time without the trepidation of getting shots into the spine and surrounding areas. For me they worked, but others I have talked to didn't have the same luck, but before I go through surgery, that was the only step left.
Yeah....as I mentioned up thread, my results were similar, although I didn't have the "twilight sleep" treatment......they just strapped me to a fluoroscopic table, gave me a couple of shots of lydocaine at the injection site, and went at it. Following the injections I was placed in a chair for 30 minutes, and walked out.
All back problems are different, and respond differently to various types of treatment.......however, my best friend is a neurosurgeon, and he cautioned me that unless you are nearly permanently disabled with chronic pain to resist the surgery option, as he advised that regardless of what the surgeon tells you, you can expect a less than 50% success rate, and the downside is that
depending on the diagnosis, the surgery can frequently leave you worse off than you were before.
I have had mixed results with Chiropractic......it has worked for me in a couple of cases where I was experiencing non-back related problems.......my neurosurgeon friend (gasp) even recommended it for a neck issue that he had treated me for a number of years ago. Traction was the technique he recommended, however due to liability issues, few Chiropractors use it any more, I really had to look for one.......but it worked for me. In the process I was subjected to the ultrasound, infrared deep heat, roller bed, and other inquisition methods unsuccessfully.
doc