My sister who suffers from chronic, debilitating back pain might opt for an epidural. Has anyone with back pain tried this, and did it help?
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Jude (
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April 20th, 2010
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I had a steroid shot in my spine that “cured” the excruciating pain of a herniated disc. My heart goes out to her!
Women are often given these during child birth. It’s not a huge deal.
I had a cortisone shot in the spine once after excessively straining my back with heavy lifting (carrying giant cat litter and cat food bags simultaneously) and it felt like there was a razor blade embedded.
The Orthopedics doc sent me to the one day procedure section of the local ER and the anesthesiologist there. He was an Asian doc who had also had training in accupuncture in addition to his regular medical training.
I was pretty apprehensive and notexpecting a lot.
Nothing happened immediately but each successive day the pain was noticeably lessened and in about 5 or 6 days, I was pain free even tho still cautious.
It was really like magic. I was impressed.
One of my employees just had one this week. She has several herniated discs and this seems to have improved her mobility and lessened her pain. It is temporary, however.
@beautifulbobby193 Well, yes, I know that. That wasn’t what I was asking, though. I was asking if it would help with the back pain.
It probaby would help temporarily but I have not heard of people getting them on a regular basis for pain relief.
The only problem is that side effects of epidurals are chronic back pain.
I have done it twice. steroid shot. I do love when I have to get it.
Have not needed one in a long time. Worked great for me.
it didnt work for me…..but its not so bad…..
Hm, well I had two for childbirth…is this some sort of continuous thing she’ll have in? (I know it’s a small catheter that was in my back, sort of like an IV)
I’ll tell ‘ya, an epidural is an amazing thing. Things can go wrong with them, but if you have a good doctor, then they work amazingly.
I hope she finds relief.
I had the epidural steroids. It worked temporarily, but I still had to have the L5-S1 disc removed 6 months later. Most people I’ve talked to who have had the epidural say the same thing, temporary relief.
I suggest steroid shots, Jjmah. The problem with epidurals, as most post-delivery mothers can tell you, is mild to intense pain for up to a year at the injection site. Doctors do not know what causes it, or why it takes so long for the pain to subside.
Lumbar epidural steroid injections are usually done in a series of something like 3 to 5 injections at 1 or 2 week intervals, sometimes more. In general terms, about ⅓ of patients get much relief, ⅓ get some relief, and ⅓ get no relief.
Because chronic low back pain / herniated lumbar disks is by nature a relapsing-remitting disease, it’s difficult to establish causality of treatment.
Epidural injections may cause some local tenderness lasting a few days or weeks, like any needle injection.
Long term (greater than 6 months) back pain after delivering a baby has been intensively analyzed—the conclusion is that it is equally likely after childbirth with or without a labor epidural.
A family member has had epidurals for back pain; she did not get relief beyond a couple of days.
I had a series of steroid epidural injections for my chronic back pain. I got about ten days of significant relief from the first and no benefit at all from all subsequent injections. I have suffered with severe chronic pain since April 2004.
My average pain level is about 6 on the ten point scale. I can’t sleep in bed and rarely sleep more than a few hours at a time. I sure can sympathize with your sister and I hope she has a better outcome than I have.
Look, @phillis, I won’t get into a doctor-bashing debate. I don’t have a gigantic list of links in rebuttal supporting the safety and efficacy of labor epidurals, but I have studied the subject.
Everything you posted about labor epidurals seems to be anecdotal web commentaries much like this very page—nobody doubts the sincerity of the writers but little can be concluded. We’ve seen and heard it all before. You should look at peer-reviewed scientific data published by American Society of Anesthesiologists or Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology. Since childbirth itself is a more serious risk factor for lower back problems, it’s not a simple question.
But yes, an epidural needle (scary-looking thing: 17 or 18-gauge and at least 3–½ inches long!) can cause minor, temporary local injury to connective tissues, including the pain-sensitive periosteum where the needle might contact bone. In the case of lumbar injections the needle is nowhere near the spinal cord, which ends halfway down your back, or the lumbar disks unless they’re bulging rearward. It can cause a so-called spinal headache only if it accidentally punctures the dura by going too deep—unlikely in experienced hands.
I stand by my earlier assertions. Sorry, @phillis, but it turns out my patients overwhelmingly agree with me. I’ve asked them.
I don’t regard epidural steroid injections for low back pain with the same enthusiasm, however, that I do for labor epidurals—mainly because efficacy is way less of a sure thing as explained previously.
@gasman That’s nice, dear. You keep on asking your patients. it’s the right thing to do.
Besides, if epidural injections caused chronic low back pain, does it make sense that they would be routinely offered as treatment of same? A little bit of critical thinking goes a long way…
@gasman It is common knowledge that doctors do the best they can, and that even with cutting edge technology, that sometimes isn’t enough. Not even Morphine can help some patients. Pain management is often a double-edged sword for doctors who find themselves in the unenviable position of choosing the lesser of the evils. This can make a doctor seem like a villain. But, just because they look that way doesn’t make it so.
The fact is that epidural cather sites really do cause pain for extended lengths of time in many people. The links I gave far outweigh medical journals/reports because they come from the patients, themselves. If it is a recurring theme, it deserves to be acknowledged. Whether this is reflected upon publicly or not is of no consequence to me. My own doctor admitted to me that doctors don’t know why this happens. What more can you ask from another human being, than honesty? I fail to see where any sin has been commited. Any (caring) doctor does everything in thier power to avoid causing any more pain than is absolutely necessary. If that means listening to patients, then thats what they do.
@phillis Of course doctors should listen to their patients. It’s also clear that doctors don’t always know why things happen. So what?
Modern western medicine is science-based. Doctors inform patients so they can make rational choices for treatment, based on the best evidence we have, including observed risks of invasive procedures. Bad things can always happen to any person, but the risks may be far lower than imagined.
Your assertion that ”links I gave far outweigh medical journals/reports because…” amounts to a rejection of the scientific method. A recent high-profile example of medical scaremongering based on junk science or phony science is the now-debunked link between childhood vaccines & autism. Perhaps you just underestimate the power of a good clinical investigation. Scientific denialism is a scary proposition.
@gasman So what? I’m not dismissing anything, but you sure did. You utterly dismissed patients and replaced them completely with science. Are you working with cadavers? Are you an M.E.? It took me all of 15 seconds to find those links. People get very upset when a healthcare provider operates from ego. If patient feedback weren’t required, you wouldn’t have studied how to document it in med school. You have to see both sides, not just one. Of COURSE scientific method matters! If you want to blow in here and be cavalier about what patients say, expect to piss people off. That’s what.
Jellies, I’m wondering if you could take this discussion to PM.
Thanks.
I’ll take the same liberties everybody else enjoys. Thanks.
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