Thoracic Facet Block

I am scheduled for a thoracic facet block for next Friday. Are steriods used for this procedure? And if they are, can they substitute the steriod with a non- steriod medication? I had an epidural Sept. 2007 and I gained weight and It didn't work, I am not even sure I will go through with procedure now.

[Paul J Slosar]

Usually the steroids are the essential medicine to try to get some lasting relief.  Without them the doctors just use local anesthetic like lidocaine.  That can be done but after the local wears off you will not have any lasting benefit.  

[maximus124]

i had bilateral brest cancer within last 7 years. after chemo and radio  twice i had severe back pain the they did 3 lumbar punctures within 6 weeks they got no fluid off spine.i had mri done and i have results here but  do not quite understand them can you help please.   on exam the main findings are that there is considerable pain on palpation of both sacral sulci. she appears to have no current muscle spasm. flexion of her lumbar spine reduces her pain and extension of her lumbar spine increases her pain considerably. the worst pain is with extension and left side flexion which causes extremely severe pain. she is hypersentive to palpation of her spine from l5 through to t10. myotomes dermatomes reflexes and slr are nad  on left and right.