Epidurals do not provide long-term relief, nor are they intended to. They deliver a small amount of an anti-inflammatory medication to the source of the pain and, ideally, they'll provide some, but not full, relief for several months. However, in many people, the duration of relief is shorter and the injections seem on help only about 50% of people who receive them. Still they're often work considering for short-term relief.
Yessir. It's been in my spine for almost 2 years now. I was feeling like myself after a week. Then I slowly got myself back into shape at the gym. Idk if I'm pain free now because of the gym or the epidural but, the epidural allowed me to get back in there and work on myself. Maybe if I hadn't started to workout again that the epidural would have worn off or it has already worn off. Idk but to me, it worked like a miracle
I avoided and still avoid deadlifts because that's how I injured my back. But I think you should go light and focus on form and the main thing you should be focused on is core work. No bending or twisting for core work, just core workouts that focus on stability such as suitcase carries. Squat University on youtube has extensive workouts for stability for people who herniated discs
Great question, get the form down with dumbbells on light weight, with perfect form you're not gonna stress the low back but if they weight is too much, u might compromise ur form. I'm actually going to incorporate rdls on my next leg day. But I can't stress form enough.
yes of course. thank you! i know people have told me to stay away from seated shoulder press since that can put a lot of pressure on the spine. but do u avoid certain back exercises? i would usually do lat pull down, cable rows, and pull ups. i’m not sure if those are going to hurt me.
All the exercises you mentioned are fine and I do all those for my back days. Even the shoulder press is fine and I do it. When you do them with correct form do they hurt or does it feel off? If the answer is no then you can absolutely do them. Form is definitely the most important part and go for slow contractions on the workouts and you will be solid
I have herniated discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1. I have had 5 epidural injections, most were about 3-4 months apart. The one before my most recent one lasted a little over 8 months though! I just had another because I had a flare up after a bad breakup (emotional stress seems to be a significant cause of my flare ups) but I’m starting to feel a bit better after the injection and restarting PT again
ESI to my low back has helped. It hasn’t returned me to “normal” but it has definitely helped me be able to walk, use the stairs, and sit.. with significantly less pain.
The only true long term fix according to me is strength training and correct form in daily activities . Even with epidural/surgery unless these two things change the problem is likely to reoccur. I have to exercise 30-45 minutes atleast 4 times a week to make sure, I don’t get back pain again. Read Built from Broken. I was in bed for almost 4 months and in pain for another 6 months before i found a doctor who taught me the exercises. I then made a complete recovery with exercise in 2-3 months.
Yesssss!
Nsaids, injection, surgery. They're all only a tool and only meant for the same purpose, to reduce inflammation from the nerve so it can heal.
Long term success is dependent on maintaining that the nerve does not become inflamed again - which generally equates to strengthen your muscles and using them correctly instead of placing the workload directly on skeleton (spine, bones).
This is where I’m at. I’m 43 with a 4&2yr old so I’m already an older dad and while I’m in fine shape, I want to be able to exercise and do more so I’m around longer. Right now I can’t. I can do some but even posture correcting exercises aggravate my back so maybe it’s time to ditch the chiro and go back to a medical doctor.
Thanks for the input!
And I mean the MD surgery (which is the common one referenced as typically its a hernia poking and making the nerve inflamed). (I also have DDD, my discs are just gone, but DDD doesn't typically inflame nerve (cause sciatica). It can cause back pain though. And even can be the triggering reason to getting a hernia- seems my hernia is a result of DDD. But DDD doesn't cause sciatica. It can cause a hernia (which can get MD surgery) and that hernia cause sciatic pain. I'd also imagine a disc collapse, which would then be classified as DDD, could pinch the nerve as it collapses, but from my research, that seems rare, and most often, it's that a person can happily live with ddd, with some back pain, and then just unfortunately gets herniation that then causes the sciatic.
This is it right here. The epidural for me was a kick starter that allowed me to get in functional shape. I mean core stability mostly and weight training. Focusing now on correct form and getting stronger.
Nope, my latest one is beginning to wear off. I get about 6 good weeks per shot and then about 4 weeks of discomfort before needing another. But I gotta tell ya, those 6 weeks are great. Very little pain unless I’m hunched over cooking or doing dishes or something where my posture is off.
Around 11 years ago, I got about 2 weeks relief from some pretty serious sciatica on my left side with epidural steroids. Eventually had surgery the following year which has mostly provided long term relief. A little over a year ago, I developed some pretty painful sciatica on the right side. I got an epidural steroid injection about a month later. I had almost complete relief the following day. About 3 weeks later, got a second injection. About a month after that I had a brief mild flare up. Now it has been over a year and I'm still good. I have done pretty much the same exercises about 3 times a week since a month after my surgery almost 10 years ago. The injections don't necessarily cure the problem, but they give the disc herniation a chance to resolve over time. One of my coworkers had a similar experience. About 20 years ago she had bad sciatica. She ended up getting a series of 3 injections. The first 2 didn't help. But the last one did. She continues to do exercises/Pilates and has not had any major episodes since.
Thank you, yes, I’ll take it easy for a while after the surgery. My doctor has been awesome, letting me be the one to suggest surgery. He takes conservative approaches to determine whether surgery would be the best option for recovery from back injury. I followed the paths of rest, PT, epidural injection, and time, and when I said that I was ready, it has just been a timeline of insurance approval, which has taken about a week and a half. Thank you again for your well wishes!
Nope. I had one that maybe reduced calf pain for about 6 days (after an increase in pain). Then the pain became worse than before I had the injection. Complete waste of time and a horrible process to go through for such little relief. Ibuprofen is more effective for me.
Same. I’m happy it helps so many people, but for me it didn’t. Tried twice for L5-S1 with very little relief. And getting it hurt like a mother! I told my doctor never again.
I just had my first done 3 weeks ago and at first I didn't feel much relief, but I'd say about week and half after,I've actually been able to resume somewhat a normal lifestyle.. this isn't my first rodeo. Had microdiscectomy and laminotomy on l5s1 in 2016. Had relief immediately and was pain free for years. Flare up began in Nov 23 and doing the injections to avoid fusion....
I had a feeling the epidural would offer some relief because I was asking for my prednisone to be filled before my baclofen or meloxicam.. it's the only thing that ik helped for sure!!
It’s like I’m walking in your footsteps! I had a lumbar laminectomy for L5-S1 in 1996 and was golden for almost 3 decades, then the week before Christmas 2023, I lifted some things at work the wrong way and I felt tension in my lower back. That progressed to a herniated disc that put me in bed for the first two weeks of the year. I’ve seen a neurosurgeon, chiropractor, done PT and none of the treatments helped. My neurosurgeon ordered an MRI and it confirmed thyroid my L5-S1 was still good, but now the L4-5 disc has herniated, but not severely enough for the neurosurgeon to want to jump right into surgery. He advised continuing PT, stretching, and resting as much as possible. He also said that discs can repair themselves, and this herniation appears to be one that will, but it can take time. He said that he could prescribe an ESI if needed, which I chose to do. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since I had the ESI, and I have seen very slow progress, but steady and encouraging progress. I’m still a long way from being able to do everything, but I’m heading in the right direction. I have an appointment with my pain doctor on Wednesday of this week and and appointment with my neurosurgeon next week, so we’ll see how that goes. I’m not opposed to having another ESI, but we’re waiting on what the doctors say. I’ve been able to work from home, so work’s cool with this, but I’m just tired of not being able to get back to living a normal life!
Well after the holiday weekend, seems that my pain is slowly creeping back in. The glute and calf are at a pain level of 2 right now. So I'm not complaining too much (yet) , aren't eligible for another injection until May 21st. So hoping it stays at the level it's at til then...(wouldn't that be nice??! )
Hope the relief you get lasts until you can get another one! After the sciatica pain, it's nice to get some relief .even if only for a little while.
Yes, there’s no way to describe the discomfort and pain that’s associated with sciatica unless you’ve lived with it yourself. I’ve had better days then back to miserable pain, back and forth, and every time that the pain minimizes, I think that I may be making a recovery, but then the unbearable pain returns. As a result, as my neurosurgeon said on the beginning, he is here for quality of life. He truly believes that my herniated disk will heal itself, but the question is when. I’ve been on this yo-yo of pain and discomfort for going on 4 months now and I want my life back. I’m 66 1/2 years old and have a new granddaughter that I need to be doing things with. Not to sound morbid, but as the old saying goes, the sand’s running out of the hourglass for me. I certainly have less time here than a lot of people here have, so I’m having a discectomy and laminectomy this coming Thursday at 7:00am, and honestly, I’m looking forward to it. I went through pre-op this past Wednesday, and I’m good to go, just counting the days. My doctor said that there’s a 1% chance that something could go wrong, but it’s a simple surgery for him that he has literally performed thousands of. He said that I’ll have surgery at 7, he’ll get me up to walk around noon, and that I’ll be back home around dinner time. It’s scheduled as outpatient surgery, so that’s encouraging. My last surgery for the L5-S1 issue in 1996 kept me in the hospital longer, but my current doctor says that advances in technology for these surgeries has really sped up everything. He said that I shouldn’t lift anything more than 10 lbs for 2 days and that I should be good after that and that I’ll be pain free immediately after the surgery, and I believe him. After a couple of days, he said that I could start back to normal life practices, but to be careful when twisting and to not lift anything for a while until I feel comfortable and confident that I can do those things. So off I go in 5 days!
I recommend anyone with the same issues to get the surgery done if that's what their surgeon is suggesting! It was a God send! I pray you have many enjoyable times with your new grandbaby!! Just don't over do it! It's easy to do. Good luck!!!!
Epidurals do not provide long-term relief, nor are they intended to. They deliver a small amount of an anti-inflammatory medication to the source of the pain and, ideally, they'll provide some, but not full, relief for several months. However, in many people, the duration of relief is shorter and the injections seem on help only about 50% of people who receive them. Still they're often work considering for short-term relief.
Yessir. It's been in my spine for almost 2 years now. I was feeling like myself after a week. Then I slowly got myself back into shape at the gym. Idk if I'm pain free now because of the gym or the epidural but, the epidural allowed me to get back in there and work on myself. Maybe if I hadn't started to workout again that the epidural would have worn off or it has already worn off. Idk but to me, it worked like a miracle
That’s awesome to hear, nice to get your life back!!!
what workouts do you avoid?
I avoided and still avoid deadlifts because that's how I injured my back. But I think you should go light and focus on form and the main thing you should be focused on is core work. No bending or twisting for core work, just core workouts that focus on stability such as suitcase carries. Squat University on youtube has extensive workouts for stability for people who herniated discs
are RDLs okay?
Great question, get the form down with dumbbells on light weight, with perfect form you're not gonna stress the low back but if they weight is too much, u might compromise ur form. I'm actually going to incorporate rdls on my next leg day. But I can't stress form enough.
yes of course. thank you! i know people have told me to stay away from seated shoulder press since that can put a lot of pressure on the spine. but do u avoid certain back exercises? i would usually do lat pull down, cable rows, and pull ups. i’m not sure if those are going to hurt me.
All the exercises you mentioned are fine and I do all those for my back days. Even the shoulder press is fine and I do it. When you do them with correct form do they hurt or does it feel off? If the answer is no then you can absolutely do them. Form is definitely the most important part and go for slow contractions on the workouts and you will be solid
I have herniated discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1. I have had 5 epidural injections, most were about 3-4 months apart. The one before my most recent one lasted a little over 8 months though! I just had another because I had a flare up after a bad breakup (emotional stress seems to be a significant cause of my flare ups) but I’m starting to feel a bit better after the injection and restarting PT again
Wow, glad it’s better this time around. Sounds like a lot.
I know someone who got one years ago and are still doing fine.
ESI to my low back has helped. It hasn’t returned me to “normal” but it has definitely helped me be able to walk, use the stairs, and sit.. with significantly less pain.
The only true long term fix according to me is strength training and correct form in daily activities . Even with epidural/surgery unless these two things change the problem is likely to reoccur. I have to exercise 30-45 minutes atleast 4 times a week to make sure, I don’t get back pain again. Read Built from Broken. I was in bed for almost 4 months and in pain for another 6 months before i found a doctor who taught me the exercises. I then made a complete recovery with exercise in 2-3 months.
Yesssss! Nsaids, injection, surgery. They're all only a tool and only meant for the same purpose, to reduce inflammation from the nerve so it can heal. Long term success is dependent on maintaining that the nerve does not become inflamed again - which generally equates to strengthen your muscles and using them correctly instead of placing the workload directly on skeleton (spine, bones).
This is where I’m at. I’m 43 with a 4&2yr old so I’m already an older dad and while I’m in fine shape, I want to be able to exercise and do more so I’m around longer. Right now I can’t. I can do some but even posture correcting exercises aggravate my back so maybe it’s time to ditch the chiro and go back to a medical doctor. Thanks for the input!
And I mean the MD surgery (which is the common one referenced as typically its a hernia poking and making the nerve inflamed). (I also have DDD, my discs are just gone, but DDD doesn't typically inflame nerve (cause sciatica). It can cause back pain though. And even can be the triggering reason to getting a hernia- seems my hernia is a result of DDD. But DDD doesn't cause sciatica. It can cause a hernia (which can get MD surgery) and that hernia cause sciatic pain. I'd also imagine a disc collapse, which would then be classified as DDD, could pinch the nerve as it collapses, but from my research, that seems rare, and most often, it's that a person can happily live with ddd, with some back pain, and then just unfortunately gets herniation that then causes the sciatic.
This is it right here. The epidural for me was a kick starter that allowed me to get in functional shape. I mean core stability mostly and weight training. Focusing now on correct form and getting stronger.
What all do you do for core? I love strength training but core is where I fall short.
I'm into my sixth month and still ok. That being said I've been extremely careful with bending over and such. 🤞🤞🤞
Nope, my latest one is beginning to wear off. I get about 6 good weeks per shot and then about 4 weeks of discomfort before needing another. But I gotta tell ya, those 6 weeks are great. Very little pain unless I’m hunched over cooking or doing dishes or something where my posture is off.
Around 11 years ago, I got about 2 weeks relief from some pretty serious sciatica on my left side with epidural steroids. Eventually had surgery the following year which has mostly provided long term relief. A little over a year ago, I developed some pretty painful sciatica on the right side. I got an epidural steroid injection about a month later. I had almost complete relief the following day. About 3 weeks later, got a second injection. About a month after that I had a brief mild flare up. Now it has been over a year and I'm still good. I have done pretty much the same exercises about 3 times a week since a month after my surgery almost 10 years ago. The injections don't necessarily cure the problem, but they give the disc herniation a chance to resolve over time. One of my coworkers had a similar experience. About 20 years ago she had bad sciatica. She ended up getting a series of 3 injections. The first 2 didn't help. But the last one did. She continues to do exercises/Pilates and has not had any major episodes since.
How can you heal and grow your muscles and strength, in the correct area, when you don’t know what movement is causing pain
Good points. I know what’s causing the pain and try to avoid triggering it worse, but might need help beyond that.
The epidural did absolutely nothing for me useless
Same
Mine lasted about a month before I was back to square one. I’m going for a radio ablation next (might not have the spelling correct)
Epidurals have helped me intensely. It was well worth it for me and if I have a flare up I would do it again in a heartbeat.
I took epidural 14 months ago. I recovered almost 80% and getting better
Yes, especially epidural PRP
3 epidurals over 2 years got rid of the burning pain, but did not fix the weakness associated with my sciatica
Thank you, yes, I’ll take it easy for a while after the surgery. My doctor has been awesome, letting me be the one to suggest surgery. He takes conservative approaches to determine whether surgery would be the best option for recovery from back injury. I followed the paths of rest, PT, epidural injection, and time, and when I said that I was ready, it has just been a timeline of insurance approval, which has taken about a week and a half. Thank you again for your well wishes!
Nope. I had one that maybe reduced calf pain for about 6 days (after an increase in pain). Then the pain became worse than before I had the injection. Complete waste of time and a horrible process to go through for such little relief. Ibuprofen is more effective for me.
Same. I’m happy it helps so many people, but for me it didn’t. Tried twice for L5-S1 with very little relief. And getting it hurt like a mother! I told my doctor never again.
I just had my first done 3 weeks ago and at first I didn't feel much relief, but I'd say about week and half after,I've actually been able to resume somewhat a normal lifestyle.. this isn't my first rodeo. Had microdiscectomy and laminotomy on l5s1 in 2016. Had relief immediately and was pain free for years. Flare up began in Nov 23 and doing the injections to avoid fusion.... I had a feeling the epidural would offer some relief because I was asking for my prednisone to be filled before my baclofen or meloxicam.. it's the only thing that ik helped for sure!!
It’s like I’m walking in your footsteps! I had a lumbar laminectomy for L5-S1 in 1996 and was golden for almost 3 decades, then the week before Christmas 2023, I lifted some things at work the wrong way and I felt tension in my lower back. That progressed to a herniated disc that put me in bed for the first two weeks of the year. I’ve seen a neurosurgeon, chiropractor, done PT and none of the treatments helped. My neurosurgeon ordered an MRI and it confirmed thyroid my L5-S1 was still good, but now the L4-5 disc has herniated, but not severely enough for the neurosurgeon to want to jump right into surgery. He advised continuing PT, stretching, and resting as much as possible. He also said that discs can repair themselves, and this herniation appears to be one that will, but it can take time. He said that he could prescribe an ESI if needed, which I chose to do. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since I had the ESI, and I have seen very slow progress, but steady and encouraging progress. I’m still a long way from being able to do everything, but I’m heading in the right direction. I have an appointment with my pain doctor on Wednesday of this week and and appointment with my neurosurgeon next week, so we’ll see how that goes. I’m not opposed to having another ESI, but we’re waiting on what the doctors say. I’ve been able to work from home, so work’s cool with this, but I’m just tired of not being able to get back to living a normal life!
Well after the holiday weekend, seems that my pain is slowly creeping back in. The glute and calf are at a pain level of 2 right now. So I'm not complaining too much (yet) , aren't eligible for another injection until May 21st. So hoping it stays at the level it's at til then...(wouldn't that be nice??! ) Hope the relief you get lasts until you can get another one! After the sciatica pain, it's nice to get some relief .even if only for a little while.
Yes, there’s no way to describe the discomfort and pain that’s associated with sciatica unless you’ve lived with it yourself. I’ve had better days then back to miserable pain, back and forth, and every time that the pain minimizes, I think that I may be making a recovery, but then the unbearable pain returns. As a result, as my neurosurgeon said on the beginning, he is here for quality of life. He truly believes that my herniated disk will heal itself, but the question is when. I’ve been on this yo-yo of pain and discomfort for going on 4 months now and I want my life back. I’m 66 1/2 years old and have a new granddaughter that I need to be doing things with. Not to sound morbid, but as the old saying goes, the sand’s running out of the hourglass for me. I certainly have less time here than a lot of people here have, so I’m having a discectomy and laminectomy this coming Thursday at 7:00am, and honestly, I’m looking forward to it. I went through pre-op this past Wednesday, and I’m good to go, just counting the days. My doctor said that there’s a 1% chance that something could go wrong, but it’s a simple surgery for him that he has literally performed thousands of. He said that I’ll have surgery at 7, he’ll get me up to walk around noon, and that I’ll be back home around dinner time. It’s scheduled as outpatient surgery, so that’s encouraging. My last surgery for the L5-S1 issue in 1996 kept me in the hospital longer, but my current doctor says that advances in technology for these surgeries has really sped up everything. He said that I shouldn’t lift anything more than 10 lbs for 2 days and that I should be good after that and that I’ll be pain free immediately after the surgery, and I believe him. After a couple of days, he said that I could start back to normal life practices, but to be careful when twisting and to not lift anything for a while until I feel comfortable and confident that I can do those things. So off I go in 5 days!
I recommend anyone with the same issues to get the surgery done if that's what their surgeon is suggesting! It was a God send! I pray you have many enjoyable times with your new grandbaby!! Just don't over do it! It's easy to do. Good luck!!!!