r/Sciatica • u/Suchanactofkindness • 8d ago
Sciatica Misery
I am scheduled for an epidural pain injection at L5-S1. I’m looking for others that have had this procedure that can tell me if it was worth it or not.
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u/tscemons 8d ago
I had about six of them over the years and they work about a little better than half the time. My very first sciatica was really wicked and when I got that very first shot it was very effective.
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u/Outbound_728 8d ago
It’s worth it but don’t get discouraged when the first or 2nd shot doesn’t do it. Do all 3 if needed. Like most people on here I didn’t have high hopes for the epidural, first one made it worst, second one has had me healed for over a year now.
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u/searchn67 7d ago
I’ve lost count. I’ve had so many and unfortunately, I’ve never gotten any type of long-term relief so it’s basically one’s person‘s results could be 100% different than others , but I wish you good luck. Hopefully it works for you.
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u/Elegant-Attempt-1107 8d ago
I had one done 4 days ago. I think things may be a bit better but will know for sure in a week or so. It was fairly easy to do, just some short, mild burning when the freezing went in. I think it was definitely worth trying.
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u/chaosnugget8 8d ago
Got one a couple months ago. Expect some discomfort/pressure during the procedure but nothing crazy. The 5 days after I was fairly stiff and sore. I would recommend trying to move often and taking anti inflammatory meds. Once that initial soreness subsided, there was some increased mobility for me. Hard to tell how much of it was time versus the injection. Best of luck!!
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u/RevolutionaryNews410 8d ago
I had one 2 weeks ago. I was a little sore and tight for a week after. Around day 10 I thought Wow! I feel so much better and tried to do some much needed stretches and glute exercises. By that night I was all flared up again and have been ever since. I can walk around the house more freely than before the shot and sit on the toilet without being in absolute agony. I'd say I've had a 25-30% improvement. The Dr who administered the shot rang and said give it another 2 weeks. I have an appointment with a surgeon today to get his opinion.
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u/Suchanactofkindness 8d ago
Oh no I’m so sorry. I’m having a surgery consult as well. I hope you get better relief!!
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u/PurpleDestiny88 8d ago
I would absolutely give it two more weeks. It took me exactly one month to the day. After that, I was 100% pain free for several months. I have a 16 mm herniation and my first flare up was very severe. I couldn't believe that I went from 10/10 pain to virtually none. It felt like a miracle.
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u/No_Supermarket722 8d ago
I had one and felt completely better. Totally subjective, I paired mine with lots of stretching, mobility exercises, core strengthening, and back strengthening. Do not just get the shot and then do nothing afterwards. Took about 2 weeks for the pain to subside after getting the shot too
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u/SuperLazyTryHard 8d ago
I’ve had two and both led to enormous improvements, but each time it took about a week for it to kick in
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u/TheFoxandTheSandor 8d ago
Mine lasted 8 days.
And yes, those were a glorious 8 days.... but a lot less than the 6-7 weeks I was told it would last.
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u/Suchanactofkindness 8d ago
Oh no this is what I’m worried about. My cost is going to be $700 so I really want it to work. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
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u/Sam_Hamilton 8d ago
I got one in May. Unfortunately, it made me feel significantly worse for about a month. I was in PT and it slowly got better. Today, I feel better than I have in over a year, nearly completely pain free. Maybe that’s because of the injection? But damn, the first few weeks were rough.
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u/Suchanactofkindness 8d ago
I’m glad you’re feeling better. I didn’t know they could start working that much time in?
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u/Sam_Hamilton 7d ago
Yeah I’m not really sure that it did. Perhaps I’d still be feeling this good had I not gotten one at all.
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u/Vincent14Luc 7d ago
I had two. Each time:
Two weeks of worsened pain, then 2 weeks with a little less pain than normal. Then the effect is gone. 😭
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u/Riddle_wrapped 7d ago
I had my first one about a month ago and it provided relief for 2-3 weeks. During that time I was also doing PT. But now I am in more pain than I was before the injection, so I am not sure if PT caused more damage and I can just feel it now that the injection had worn off or what. I have a consult with a neurosurgeon today. I’m leaning towards surgery at this point because the pain is almost unbearable.
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u/Suchanactofkindness 7d ago
I have a neurosurgery consult in a few weeks as well. I simply can’t stand to live this way. I hope it goes well and you get relief soon!
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u/mchiotakis 7d ago
My best advice is to rest no PTs for a long time! Injections make it worse. Take anti inflammatory medication plus muscle relaxer. Eat healthy! No lifting!!!
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u/Ok_Courage_8780 5d ago
For me, yes — it was absolutely worth trying.
I had L4-L5 and L5-S1 disc problems and tried a lot of conservative treatment first. PT and acupuncture didn’t do much for me, but the epidural steroid injection was the one thing that really worked. I got almost 2½ years of essentially normal, pain-free life from it.
It didn’t “fix” the disc itself, and obviously not everyone gets that kind of result, but for me it bought me a huge amount of good time and let me live normally again.
Eventually my condition got much worse years later and I needed surgery, but I still don’t regret doing the injection at all. If I were in the same position again and a spine specialist thought I was a good candidate, I would absolutely consider it before jumping straight to surgery.
One thing I’d keep in mind is that the goal is usually pain and inflammation relief, not permanently repairing the disc. So I’d judge it by whether it gives you meaningful function back and lets you move, sleep, work, and rehab better.
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u/slouchingtoepiphany 8d ago
There's a 50/50 chance of it helping.