Anyone ever had epidural injections for pain?

by 36 replies
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Hey guys and gals,

Anyone here got any experience with receiving epidural steroid injections for pain management?

Long story short, I was involved in a horrific car accident about 5 months ago, thank God I was able to walk out of it alive, though my brand new car was not (may she rest in peace). The accident left with me a couple of 'minor' injuries, one of which is a herniated disc in my lower back. I've been taking pain medication and going to physical therapy, etc, and though the pain hasn't gotten worse, it hasn't necessarily gotten better either.

So I went to a spine specialist recently and he suggested I get epidural shots as they're very targeted straight to the area where the pain is, and according to him he sees over an 80% success rate with his patients when it comes to controlling pain with these shots.

I'm supposed to get these shots tomorrow. I was all happy and dandy going to go get them, not thinking much of them, figured it'd be just like getting a flu shot or something... until my physical therapist told me about how they have to put you under anesthesia to administer the shot and what not, which I did not know.

So that piqued my curiosity and I went online reading up on it and watching videos, and now I'm having second thoughts. Not really because of the big a** needles they put in to administer the shot, though it still seems kind of scary, but more because I just spent the last 3 hours reading up on how they exactly work and what kind of side effects some suffer, etc. Some people seem to love them and say they're great and help them live a 'normal' lifestyle as they did before they got the back pain, while others have all these horror stories about everything from suffering from nerve damage due to the huge needles used to their pain actually worsening to them developing new pains after getting the shot.

I know obviously the end decision is mine but at this point I'm really deliberating if I am actually in that bad of pain where I should be going for epidural shots, or should I just let it be for a while and get them in the future if I feel I really need to?

Thoughts, advice, comments? Thanks!
#off topic forum
  • Hello Ian,

    I'm not a doctor, so take this for what it's worth.

    If you are wondering if the pain is that bad, then I would say it's not. I think
    herniated disks usually require an operation to 'fix' them. I am not sure, but I
    think the 'fix' is to remove the disk and fuse several vertabra together. Not
    sure about that. But I believe that is what a relative of mine had to do.

    You may want to check out acupuncture. I know that can be very helpful for
    pain management. I've had acupuncture before for different things but never
    anything that serious.

    If that interests you, then be sure to see someone certified and legit. If you
    see a Chinese doctor who actually was trained in TCM, traditional Chinese medicine,
    then there could be other approaches prescribed. Chinese herbs, etc.

    Anyway, keep on your toes if you see someone in that capacity. Be careful and
    good luck. Sorry to hear about the condition.

    Avoid prescription meds for pain so you don't develop any other problems.


    Ken
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    • Thanks for the great advice Ken, I appreciate it. Yes, I've read about the surgery to remove the herniated disc as well, but from what I understand that is only done in extreme cases, and thank God mine is not that extreme. Also I'm not sure I like the thought of one of my discs being removed from my spine, so I probably wouldn't go for that. It just develops to be more of a nuisance which is constantly there, and just kind of pisses me off at times because I have always been more or less physically fit and always took measures not to hurt my back when lifting etc, and then all of the sudden some dude runs a red light and ruins it all for me. Lol... but I can hardly complain (and I'm not complaining). I thank God that I'm still 100% functional and able to enjoy life, I know many can't say the same. I know it's a blessing in disguise.

      I've been looking into acupuncture as well and I'll see where that takes me.

      Avoid prescription meds? Oh but that Vicodin is so good... lol j/k. Thanks again!
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    • I had the epidural in a couple of occasions when giving birth and although it may be a little painful if you are in real pain you nearly disregard it.
      But of course it is not a permanent solution so you may have to repeat it.
      I read a few good feedback regarding it, but also that it does no suit everybody.
      Of course if the anesthetist gets the spot wrong it can lead to a paralysis, but they usually get it right, otherwise they would be out of work pretty soon.

      Anyway it entails that you have to sit still on the bed and not bending on the right or the left. I found this to be very difficult when you are in huge pain. Then they insert a needle of considerable size in your left hand (personally just the thought makes me faint) which is unpleasant because this one, unlike the one at the back whick is a "touch and go" thing, at the smallest movement it is always painful.
      Of course they sellotape it in place so it shouldn't move.

      This needle on the hand is in order to keep you hydrated.
      When you are absolutely still they locate the ideal spot in the spine and give you the injection which for me felt like "a punch" but nothing too scary.
      And now sorry I have to go because thinking of this made me sweat and feel sick. But it did "save my life"...
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  • Ian,

    Here is something else you can check out. It's basically enzymatic therapy
    for back pain. Just google that and you'll find info.

    Years ago, there was some enzyme based product that, among other things,
    was supposed to be useful for reducing swelling. One of the uses included
    back pain and injuries that caused swelling and pain. I guess the swelling caused
    pressure on nerves, etc and produced discomfort and pain.

    I never used it. But I knew someone who developed back pain from an injury
    in a car accident, sort of. This guy was sitting in his pick up truck at a gas
    station. Somehow, someone had an accident, and they were pulling a boat.
    The boat launched and hit the truck this guy was in. Bizarre.

    I told him about this enzyme based product and he tried it. He reported that
    it did help with the back pain but of course was only temporary which I suppose
    would be expected.

    It sounds like you're not too damaged, so personally I would avoid that #2 pencil
    of a needle they use. Sounds like you're almost inviting more problems.

    I would definitely seek alternative approaches and actually acupuncture and TCM
    may work out well.

    You may also want to look for yoga based therapists who specialize in back
    injuries. I used to get private lessons for yoga back in the 90s. This woman
    also specialized in therapy for people with back injuries. I was just getting plain
    old yoga lessons. lol. But she said that her yoga exercises, especially for keeping
    the back loose, helped people. I suppose there is a limit to what can be done.
    But since you're not too bad, that could also help.

    Yes, I know about Vicodin. I never used it. I had an operation back in 87 and
    was given Percocet. Percacet? Anyway... not bad, Ian. lol

    Good luck.


    Ken
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    • That enzymatic therapy looks interesting. I just read up on it in Google and definitely gonna look more into it. Thanks for that!

      Yes, I've been doing stretches and stuff myself at home and at physical therapy, but I was actually thinking about something like what you just said about yoga. I feel like I need some serious professional help to 'un-stiffen' my back...lol. Sitting on the computer all day doesn't help either. Sometimes I think my back may have fully recovered by now if I wasn't in IM.

      Percocet is good stuff too. God bless America.
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  • I'd be interested to know how long the pain relief lasts with the epidural. I had one when I was in labour with my first son but mine didn't work - it worked on one side but not the other. I'm guessing this epidural is different than the type used in labour as that one pretty much paralyzes you from the waste down.

    With the epidural I didn't have to be put under anaesthesia (can't spell it) completely, just a local anaesthetic in the back before the put the big needle in. I believe there is a small risk of spinal injury because they are injecting it into your spine, but the risk is small.

    I can't tell you what to do because you are the one that's in pain so you know what your body can take and whether you need this or not. I would really be interested though in how long it lasts and how often you would need the procedure repeated.

    If it were me, I'd be looking into alternative therapies first
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    • Hey Sheryl, thanks for your advice. Well, if I go through with it tomorrow, then I'll definitely let you know how it works out. From what I've been told, it lasts anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months for different people, some more some less, and they normally don't do more than 3 injections per year.

      That's what I was told by my doctor... however reading online many people seem to be saying it only lasted anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks for them, and I didn't see many people saying it lasted for months. But knowing myself, I usually respond to drugs...lol, so I would say it would probably last for at least a couple of months, though I won't know until I find out I guess.
  • Well good luck I'm sure it will all go well! Let us know how you go!
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  • Only had short term epidurals for two caesarian sections. Needle didn't hurt much (no local anaesthetic), hardest part was bending over with a big belly. Excellent pain relief, I was awake for the delivery of my babes, and watched my surgery in the reflection of the overhead theatre light. No complications, no nothing, no pain. The epidurals wore off, and life went on as normal.

    For longer term epidurals, I figure they'd just use a different drug, or different dose rate so it blocks the pain impulses but doesn't stop your nerves telling your muscles to move.
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  • Oh you watched it in the reflection - oh no I couldn't do that

    My epidural didn't work so had a general - but had a spinal block with the other 2 so was awake, but still didn't look!
  • Ian Varnava,

    It is almost an operation, in fact, they may consider it one. It is meant to be FAST(Meaning that IT is fast acting. I imagine it isn't NEARLY as fast to do), POWERFUL, and CONTROLLED. Unfortunately, that means it COULD be dangerous. Frankly, *I* wouldn't want it done unless I am in REAL pain. And about the only time I have heard of it being done is when women that are at risk, a bit chicken, or REAL pain, want to have a vaginal birth. Since there can obviously be a lot of pain, this helps control it.

    But a quack, or mistake, COULD leave you parallized. One bright spot is that, in your case, it could stop the pain at its source.

    As for the pain, I expect that there WOULD be a lot of pain, and you wouldn't want to move. HECK, a NOVACANE shot, which is FAR less invasive, can hurt, and you shouldn't flinch, and they numb the surrounding area THERE also. So this isn't anything that is that unique. As for women, if they say it is painless, or some such, realize that THEY probably had some anasthetic ALSO.

    Steve
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  • My mother has been having epidural shots for her extreme spine degeneration and has experienced some success with them. You'll receive a local anesthetic in the area and then the drug will be shot into the epidural space of your spine. The anesthesia given for this type of pain management is different than those given for labor and delivery. You'll end up with a "walking epidural". I had two full epis for my two kids and had a bad reaction to the last one (BP crash and a lot of adrenaline shots-yuck). For some it works, others not, it's all trial and error.

    My sister has a dorsal stimulator inserted in her spine to alleviate pain. It stimulates different nerves and quells others for pain management. She has RSD, which is a nerve disorder that causes permanent, chronic pain. They require some tuning initially and are expensive, but can be a godsend if they work correctly.

    Good luck!
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    • I had 4 epidurals when I had my back issues.
      My problem was spinal stenosis(sp).
      I had 2 disks that where crushing my spinal cord.
      The epidurals did nothing for me.
      I wasn't put under but had a local anesthetic.
      In the end I had a laminectomy done, Laminectomy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  • As I said, epidurals are different for different treatments. You should look into doing the dorsal stimulators, they are very effective for many patients.
  • Have you considered inversion therapy? Here's a link for more info:

    http://www.teeter-inversion.com/

    Check with your doctor first. I've had an inversion table for years. It's like having a chiropractor 24/7. I wouldn't be without it!
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    • I have a couple of friends with back problems that swear by those tables.
      I haven't tried one myself, but if my back ever starts acting up again I will.
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  • Hi Ian,
    Good luck with the shot tomorrow! How long does it last for before you need to go at it again?
    I agree with Ken about the whole alternative meds thing, since this whole chronic pain thing comes down to soothing the nervous system so its not like a SPOOKED HORSE... you can do it with training systems that basically keep at it until the horse doesn't bite anymore-- makes sense?
    I dealt with chronic stress and stuff like that for awhile, so you could say this thread just jumped at me... holy smokes epidural injection just sounds painful
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    • I have had 2 back operations and have had just about every form of medication there is, including an epidural which did nothing for me. After taking morphine capsules daily for years my pharmacist daughter suggested I replace it with fentanyl patches, which have the advantage of lasting 3 days each.

      It was the best move I have made in pain management because I feel much better than I did after years of morphine. The pain management itself is similar, but my general well being is far superior.

      If you have a genuine, ongoing back problem alternative therapies will do nothing for you you except waste your time and drain your wallet.
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  • Iv'e had 3...and I'm going to be brutally honest with you....! The needles are really long and when I had them done they didn't put you under or anything they just gave you a shot to numb the area which I did not like at all!!!! I'm a little baby so for me it hurt like a mutha and after 3 in one year it did work...but I became very active and began pilates/yoga a few years later and it has helped. It's not good to sit around even though your in pain and you can't imagine getting up and moving...it's the best thing you can do...They don't work for everyone. (The shots) Good luck...poor thing
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  • Thank you very much everyone for the replies. I've learned some new things and gotten great advice -- I knew asking for advice and input from fellow Warriors was a good idea!

    Well, I ended up rescheduling my appointment for today to about 5 weeks from now. I decided not to go for it right now because I'm not sure if my pain is that bad. Plus, it's not an end-all cure-all, it's just a temporary thing if it works. If it was a 'cure' then I would go for it. If these few weeks pass and I feel the pain is not manageable, then I will go ahead with it.

    Thanks again for everyone's advice and input!!

    Waterotter, thanks for telling me about inversion tables as well... that definitely looks interesting and I think I'm gonna do some more research and order one today or tomorrow.

    On a side-note, aside from great advice, I also got some new niche ideas out of this thread. Lol.. oh us IM'ers.
  • Hey Ian,

    Sounds like a good idea. Funny you mentioned that about niche ideas. I was
    having the same thoughts last night. lol. We'll try to make money from (almost)
    anything.

    I totally forgot about inversion tables. That sounds like it has possibilities for
    you.

    Well, you have a lot to choose from. Take your time and good luck with it.

    See ya around the place.


    Ken
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    • Hiya Ken, Yes, we will try to make money from just about anything, that's the beauty of IM I guess...lol. I personally don't like to touch health 'advice' niches, because I'm not a doctor and not gonna play one on the Internet... but if it's a physical product like this which people may be actively looking for, I'll set up an informative + affiliate website on it for sure.

      Thanks Sheryl. Yeah the pain is there but looking at what the rest of the world is going through, I think I'm beyond fortunate and should be able to put up with it while trying alternative stuff such as the great stuff that's been mentioned in this thread. See ya around!
  • Sounds like a good choice Ian - not saying that the epidural is the wrong choice, but that you're taking your time in making the decision. In the end you have to do what's right for you, but I really hope you do find something to help with the pain.
  • Yes i had but in my opinion physical therapy is the best option for it after that i had to go to physical therapist too and he really help me to recover......
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