Back Pain Forum - Cortisone Injections ! ( Help Needed Questions )

Hi good evening !

Have and do suffer from back pain , although most of the pain is in the legs , I had an mri scan and there is damage to 2 discs although specialist says the space between discs is fine , symptoms include cold feet , burning sensation in legs and feet , numbness , tiredness in legs.Swelling at groin !
Have always tried as best as I could to remain positive and exercise at the gym etc but lately my self esteem has been so low due to the pain and have been feeling so tired as if my working day is over before its begun . I dont really want to have surgery and have asked to be referred to the pain management clinic where my gp has said they can if I wish give me an injection or course of injection's to ease the pain.
I was just wondering if anybody has had these injections and do they feel any improvement short term or long term or do they feel in a worse condition after the injections !
Many thanks in advance for any information on this !
Take care & best regards alfonso !

Replies(7)

Georgie22

replied on July 14th, 2005

New User

Cortisone Injections

Hi alfonso, sorry to hear about your back pain. I have tried injections before, 3 in about 5 weeks in fact, without success. Before I discovered a fissured disc with a discogram last year, I went in for the injections to the l5/s1 disc hoping for some kind of relief from plenty of back pain.

I can say that I had relief for exactly one day after the injection, and on the 2nd day the pain returned. Most likely from the cortisone escaping the disc through the fissures. It won't fix the problem, but might give you some relief for a short time. If you do decide to get them, don't worry about swelling feet, it scared the heck out of me at first but then realized it was a temporary side effect. Good luck to you and don't forget to give us an update.

Georgie

carolscreation

replied on July 14th, 2005

New User

Cortisone Injections....

Hello there! I had two ruptured discs and had back surgery about a year and a half ago. Cortisone shots didn't really help me at all, but the steriod shots worked wonders! Please, trust me, i've know so many people that took the series of cortisone injections and it really didn't work. Once again i'm having back problems (they believe a bone chip may be "floating" around back there and causing my problem..Sounds like fun doesn't it???) my doctor told me that they aren't really recommending cortisone injections any more because they can cause you bones to become weak as you age, which a total different set of problems that I would rather not deal with. I wish you much luck and I know exactly the kind of pain your going through. I really highly recommend the steriod shot. Let me know how it works for you!

Tamadrummer

replied on July 14th, 2005

Active User, very eHealthy

Re: Cortisone Injections....

carolscreation wrote:

hello there! I had two ruptured discs and had back surgery about a year and a half ago. Cortisone shots didn't really help me at all, but the steriod shots worked wonders! Please, trust me, i've know so many people that took the series of cortisone injections and it really didn't work. Once again i'm having back problems (they believe a bone chip may be "floating" around back there and causing my problem..Sounds like fun doesn't it???) my doctor told me that they aren't really recommending cortisone injections any more because they can cause you bones to become weak as you age, which a total different set of problems that I would rather not deal with. I wish you much luck and I know exactly the kind of pain your going through. I really highly recommend the steriod shot. Let me know how it works for you!

cortisone and steroid injections are the same thing. Sometimes the doctors use a different steroid like kenalog or even hypertonic saline to help with back pain. If the cortisone didn't work but some other steroid did that is great. Another use for botox is in the back muscles now to stop them from spasming so badly.

trumanpocket

replied on July 15th, 2005

New User

I had a cortisone shot two days ago. My first one. The doctor told me he thought it would not work for me, but I had to try it before I could consider surgery. I have not noticed any difference, better or worse. Maybe I need to give it a few more days. I have heard a lot of people tell me it works for them on a temporary basis only. The longest I have heard someone tell me it worked is a year.

I hate the thought of surgery, because that does not always work either.

Good luck with yours.

Alfonso

replied on July 15th, 2005

New User

Hi cheers to all who replied , its gotta be the most frustrating thing ever , I have day's when I can be nearly pain free ( touch wood ) then weeks at a time when I am in agony.

Hope everyone finds some form of relief and will keep you all informed as to what/if any treatment I recieve works !

Take care & best regards alfonso !

carolscreation

replied on July 15th, 2005

New User

Cortisone Injections...

I too have heard that botox works on your back pain, but I wonder if insurance would pay for it...Simply because of the fact that it's botox. I wish us all good days and nights without any pain. By the way, the most a shot has ever worked for me was maybe a month, not much more. I just remember going for all those x-rays and ct-scans and just laying there crying when they told me lay on my side or move this way or that...The pain was incrediable! I remember the very first thing I thought of when I woke up from surgery was "aaaaaahhhhhh...It does'nt hurt any more! When they brought my husband and mother back in recovery that was the first thing I told them. I was able to turn my walker back in and my wheel-chair back in. It was wonderful!

Pilleus

replied on July 29th, 2005

Experienced User

Botox does work. I have been getting them for a year now. You can only get it injected every 3 months. I had to fight my insurance company for about 6 months but they are now covering this for me.

Users who thank Pilleus for this post: sheetrockdolly

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