I'm now finding the relief to be less each time I go for injections. Today I made an appointment to start the process of having a knee replacement next summer. Next question--what can the doctors do with my back? Surgery isn't going to help--it's just plain worn out and riddled with osteoarthritis. Now if somebody would invent back replacements . . .

Any type of steroid depletes bone mass. I hated the side effects of mine bc it went throughout my system. Never again!!
Also remember the government, insurance and drs are just guessing and charging for it. All to put more in their pockets. I'm done being a guinney pig

I have advancing Ankylosing Spondylitis. It is continuing to deposit calcium in places it shouldn’t. Whenever I went to a pain clinic, they always wanted to do spinal steroid injections. There are many reasons these days they “prefer” using the injections. Each injection typically gets billed out to the insurance at about $2000. It is considered a surgical procedure. The Steroids made me VERY sick. My blood sugars skyrocketed. I vomited for weeks. Not to mention that the steroids are very destructive to soft tissues. Since the Opioid Hysteria hit, most Pain doctors will not prescribe opiate medicine even when it is clearly indicated. They push the injections and other interventional techniques. Sometimes they are appropriate but they are NOT a substitute for pain medication for a serious Chronic Pain patient. The stinginess of Doctors to improperly withhold opiate medications borders and heads towards Genocide for a population of people that suffer needlessly. Now they are starting to withhold pain medications for Hospice patients. Shame on any Doctor that behaves that way.

I had them monthly. Takes three to five days to kick in. Had flushing turning red and hot. Steroids after awhile makes your whole body puff up and takes years to get out of your system. Then only worked on me for two weeks and was right back to square one. I have had spinal blocks, trigger point injections on top of the epidurals and Norco. Rhizotomy worked for me, cuts nerve. Works 6-8 months. It’s like having a life again. I wasted 18 years of the last 23 in pain til I had a rhizotomy and I have tried everything.

The problem with spinal surgery is it comes with its own risks. Probably three way even odds as to Improvement, staying the same or getting worse. Damned if we do damned if we don’t 🤷🏻‍♀️