Aa
Injections
One of my new pain conditions is terrible neck pain with very limited range of motion to the left. I've actually stopped driving for the most part. This started a year ago and the increased me to 25 mg oxycodone with 10 mg of OxyContin at bedtime. (He told me today the insurance is likely to cut me off the 10 mg OxyContin soon.)
Just wondering if anyone has had these injections and how bad they hurt? I have 3 collapsed disks impinging on a nerve. He thinks this could give me 6-8 months of relief.
Just wondering if anyone has had these injections and how bad they hurt? I have 3 collapsed disks impinging on a nerve. He thinks this could give me 6-8 months of relief.
Mary, dear Friend, I want to be sure you're doing ok as I haven't seen you on here in the past couple of weeks and with everything going on with your health, I just need to check on you. :)
I'd forgotten about the messaging we can do and JUST saw the lovely one you sent me. I'm going.back to it and answering it in a moment but thot you might see this one first.
Thinking of you, my Friend... Mama Sherry :)
I'd forgotten about the messaging we can do and JUST saw the lovely one you sent me. I'm going.back to it and answering it in a moment but thot you might see this one first.
Thinking of you, my Friend... Mama Sherry :)
I'm gonna have to go with Rootsgals opinion I have had the injections they also were doing hours of physical therapy which in the end was the final straw, I now am the frustrated recepient of Anterior fusions at C-3-4, 4-5 and 6-7.......the pain maybe got 3% better and now my life completely changed learn all your options........and get multiple opinions if need be. Good luck and I'm here if u have any question or concerns....Good luck
Sorry I'm late with my reply. I wasn't watching this thread close enough.
It should have read OMT and not OTM. Sorry. OMT stands for Osteopathic Manipulation Treatments or Therapy, It kept me in my career at least fie years longer than I could have made it - without OMT.
As a treatment, osteopathic manipulation attempts to improve joint range of motion and balance tissue and muscle mechanics in order to relieve pain. My D.O. kept my SIJ in alignment, did ligament and muscle release procedures which reduced my pain for years. SIJD still ended my career - but I believe she gave me that extra 5-6 years.
OMT was also successful in relieving my headaches. I had a fractured cervical vertebra when I was playing ball year ago. Every now and again I get bad headaches, even migraines on rare occasion. She gentle put my cervical spine in alignment did ligament and muscle release.
Yes there is a difference between Chiropractic treatments and OMT. OM is much more gentle plus it's preformed by a skilled physician - that has checked for all other possibilities and knows you medically.
D.O.s that preform OMT are difficult to locate. So many go into specialties or chose not to do OMT. If you're interested use your yellow pages or internet and look for a DO behind a physicians name instead of an MD. Same amount, actually a little more training and education as an MD. I'll take a DO over an MD every day. I relocated 6 years ago and sadly none in my area.
If you have other questions please feel free to ask. Please send me a message as I'll see it quicker.
~Tuck
It should have read OMT and not OTM. Sorry. OMT stands for Osteopathic Manipulation Treatments or Therapy, It kept me in my career at least fie years longer than I could have made it - without OMT.
As a treatment, osteopathic manipulation attempts to improve joint range of motion and balance tissue and muscle mechanics in order to relieve pain. My D.O. kept my SIJ in alignment, did ligament and muscle release procedures which reduced my pain for years. SIJD still ended my career - but I believe she gave me that extra 5-6 years.
OMT was also successful in relieving my headaches. I had a fractured cervical vertebra when I was playing ball year ago. Every now and again I get bad headaches, even migraines on rare occasion. She gentle put my cervical spine in alignment did ligament and muscle release.
Yes there is a difference between Chiropractic treatments and OMT. OM is much more gentle plus it's preformed by a skilled physician - that has checked for all other possibilities and knows you medically.
D.O.s that preform OMT are difficult to locate. So many go into specialties or chose not to do OMT. If you're interested use your yellow pages or internet and look for a DO behind a physicians name instead of an MD. Same amount, actually a little more training and education as an MD. I'll take a DO over an MD every day. I relocated 6 years ago and sadly none in my area.
If you have other questions please feel free to ask. Please send me a message as I'll see it quicker.
~Tuck
Hey tuck what's an OTM? Sounds intriguing. Does anyone know what button I'm pushing? It is making it say report(a little red exclamation point) next to persons name that I'm trying to reply to. I'm doing this on an iPad.
I've had several injections over the past 6 years or so and have had very little success. Steroid, epidural, and for the life of me I can't remember the third one( pressure point , pinpoint something like that). No relief from steroid and the pressure point actually made it worse. I've had several epidurals, 1 was a little bit of relief, 1 made it a lot worse( the idiot doc put the needle directly into my nerve and yelled at me for jumping and screaming at the top of my lungs and blamed me for screwing up my spine), a couple with basically no changes and the one I had about a month n a half ago surprisingly helped quite a bit until after about two weeks when I slipped on a rock in my driveway and all relief was gone. Tread lightly and do some research on the specific injection that they plan to do and see what other with the same shot say about there experiance. Goodluck and I pray that you find some relief
Tommy
Tommy
I can't sing the praises enough of a good Osteopath, a D.O. for bringing that up. They can be very difficult to find - at least the ones that preform OTM - but they are awesome!
Thanks Again.
Thanks Again.
Those steroid injections are terrible for you.
The pain relief does not last they they hurt like hell.
I would not go down that path, but they will try very hard to coax you to concede.
Radio frequency is also something I tried on my neck twice and my low back once,
The first time I got it in my neck for post cervical fusion headaches.
It wore off and I repeated it again.
I ended up with spaghetti legs for 30 days, and in the ER screaming in pain the next day!
Others like them, but if you research, over time, they lead to atrophy of the muscle. You know that is not good I hope?
10 years of burser injections and now I have atrophy in that leg.
An osteopath that is "hands on", CURED my left hip bursitis with his hands in 5 minutes!
See if there is one that does "hands on" near to you.
The pain relief does not last they they hurt like hell.
I would not go down that path, but they will try very hard to coax you to concede.
Radio frequency is also something I tried on my neck twice and my low back once,
The first time I got it in my neck for post cervical fusion headaches.
It wore off and I repeated it again.
I ended up with spaghetti legs for 30 days, and in the ER screaming in pain the next day!
Others like them, but if you research, over time, they lead to atrophy of the muscle. You know that is not good I hope?
10 years of burser injections and now I have atrophy in that leg.
An osteopath that is "hands on", CURED my left hip bursitis with his hands in 5 minutes!
See if there is one that does "hands on" near to you.
Mary, these might help. If your diagnosis is foraminal stenosis (do you know what this is?), then a cortisone shot in the right place may help reduce the inflammation that is strangling the nerve root.
Injections should be tried, once, twice, maybe three times. But too often, interventional pain doctors rely on them because they're great money makers. The doctor who injects 10, 20, or more times without any improvement is simply paying off the mortgage on a second home, and doing nothing to improve your pain.
We have a name for these quacks -- "shot jocks."
Some shot jocks refuse pain medication if a patient refuses the injections, which makes the doctor a criminal of the kind known as an extortionist.
People who are subjected to this abuse should 1) find another pain doctor ASAP and 2) report this malpractice to their state medical board.
These injections should always be performed under fluoroscopic guidance, and I prefer that they are done in a sterile procedure room under operating room protocols -- not on the examining table. They also require a prior authorization from your insurance company -- make sure this is done or you'll be amazed at what they charge for a simple injection.
Often an anesthetic agent is added to the bolus, usually a long-acting anesthetic like Marcaine (bupivacaine). This may reduce pain for 6-8 hours alone, giving the steroid time to do its thing.
The one procedure that has shown to be least effective is the epidural steroid injection (ESI) for the treatment of spinal stenosis (also called cord stenosis). We've had two strong recommendation against this procedure in the past 18 months. Caveat emptor when it comes to ESI.
Treating foraminal stenosis can be challenging. I was fortunate early in my cervical spine disease to find a physical therapist who helped me increase my range of motion and thus reduce pain. His technique involved holding my head against his chest as I turned, pushing into the pain. It was intense, but moved the pain out, allowing me to move my head to the 45-degree position on either side without pain.
A lot of the pain involved with cervical disc disease, especially when in an active disease state, is from inflammation, so use NSAIDs as directed -- usually 400mg to 800mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours, always with food. Check with your doctor before exceeding the recommended dose on the bottle.
Best wishes, Marycarmel.
Injections should be tried, once, twice, maybe three times. But too often, interventional pain doctors rely on them because they're great money makers. The doctor who injects 10, 20, or more times without any improvement is simply paying off the mortgage on a second home, and doing nothing to improve your pain.
We have a name for these quacks -- "shot jocks."
Some shot jocks refuse pain medication if a patient refuses the injections, which makes the doctor a criminal of the kind known as an extortionist.
People who are subjected to this abuse should 1) find another pain doctor ASAP and 2) report this malpractice to their state medical board.
These injections should always be performed under fluoroscopic guidance, and I prefer that they are done in a sterile procedure room under operating room protocols -- not on the examining table. They also require a prior authorization from your insurance company -- make sure this is done or you'll be amazed at what they charge for a simple injection.
Often an anesthetic agent is added to the bolus, usually a long-acting anesthetic like Marcaine (bupivacaine). This may reduce pain for 6-8 hours alone, giving the steroid time to do its thing.
The one procedure that has shown to be least effective is the epidural steroid injection (ESI) for the treatment of spinal stenosis (also called cord stenosis). We've had two strong recommendation against this procedure in the past 18 months. Caveat emptor when it comes to ESI.
Treating foraminal stenosis can be challenging. I was fortunate early in my cervical spine disease to find a physical therapist who helped me increase my range of motion and thus reduce pain. His technique involved holding my head against his chest as I turned, pushing into the pain. It was intense, but moved the pain out, allowing me to move my head to the 45-degree position on either side without pain.
A lot of the pain involved with cervical disc disease, especially when in an active disease state, is from inflammation, so use NSAIDs as directed -- usually 400mg to 800mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours, always with food. Check with your doctor before exceeding the recommended dose on the bottle.
Best wishes, Marycarmel.
I know how limited cervical spine pain can be. I'm sorry to hear that you have this painful issue. I'm scheduled to see a Neurosurgeon this month to see where we go with my cervical spine issues.
My Uncle had cervical spine injections - he's a tough cookie - but said they weren't painful at all. He said it was less painful then a bee sting. He didn't have any side effects. However he was very diligent in finding a well know neurosurgeon in the area. Unfortunately he ended up having to have surgery - but not because of the injections.
I think that's the key Mary. Make sure the Physician doing the injections has lots and lots of experience and has had good outcomes.
My Best,
~Tuck
My Uncle had cervical spine injections - he's a tough cookie - but said they weren't painful at all. He said it was less painful then a bee sting. He didn't have any side effects. However he was very diligent in finding a well know neurosurgeon in the area. Unfortunately he ended up having to have surgery - but not because of the injections.
I think that's the key Mary. Make sure the Physician doing the injections has lots and lots of experience and has had good outcomes.
My Best,
~Tuck
I think it's a cortisone injection. I have a consult coming up so
I'll find out more then.
I'll find out more then.
Hi Mary. What kind of injections. I had an "epidural " in my neck. I've also had nerve blocks there. In my case they hurt so bad and made it worse. Personally I'm not sure dr did it right. I've talked to other people said it helped them tremendous.y neck has soany disc problems with nerve compression. Y unvle had a epidural in low back said didn't hurt at all and swears by them.y case I told dr he will never put a shot iny neck again. NEVER! So not sure this helps or not. Make sure they numb you really well
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