Anybody had a cortisone injection in their spine?

I did it a few months ago.  I can't remember for sure but mine is L3 and L5 and possibly more.  

 

Pros:

Quick and relatively painless.  Immediate result.

 

Cons:

Weight gain.  I've gained 15 lbs since I had the injection.  

I've had more cortisone pumped into me than a professional football team, so I'm rather familiar with the procedure. What is the specific problem you have and why do they feel the shot is the next step?

As to the shot itself, it is relatively painless. They numb the area first and all you feel is a little pressure from the liquid invading the spaces. Depending on the type of injection they want to do (disc space, nerve root block, etc.) you could also feel some tingling, electric sparks, or slight pain. But its really nothing and its over in an instant. You go home the same day and ice yourself a few different times. Then in a week you start exercising again.

I don't know what the guy above is talking about with the weight gain. I think he's just a closet oreo eater and had nothing else to do while resting. There's no weight gain associated with cortisone.

 

That happened to me.  

 

Of course, if it didn't happen to you, it shouldn't happen to anyone else.  

 

http://netwellness.org/question.cfm/34275.htm

I had an L4/L5 herniated disc and discussed the cortisone shot with my neurosurgeon. They didn't recommend it for my situation, as it would simply temporarily ease the problem but wouldn't fix anything. It can also cause degenerative damage. I ended up having a partial discectomy, but I had had a traumatic injury and it was pretty obvious what the problem was.



Corticosteroids commonly cause weight gain. They decrease your insulin sensitivity and also increase your sensitivity to carbs. Net result is you pump out a shit ton of insulin, which tends to make you eat more which makes you gain weight and the excess insulin makes you store it as fat more readily. I'm diabetic so I know my insulin levels pretty well. I was on steroids for a couple weeks and had to do triple my usual insulin even without eating carbs. My insulin:carb ratio more than doubled as well. It was nuts. I actually lost weight while on it, but mostly because I was brutally restrictive of my carb intake.

Don't know how long the shot stays in your system though.

just so you understand that that's all this is - temporary. many people think its a panacea. its really just a short term fix.

do you have any associated spinal stenosis? have they talked to you about a discectomy?

weight gain is a rarity. yes, in some people there is a definite insulin spike. but is usually only temporary. to gain 15lbs from it is a rarity.

exactly what you mean. if its not too much of a hit from your insurance its worth a try. i'm curious whether they'd do a facet block or a disc injection.

well with your situation it could go either way. the injection into the disc space would theoretically reduce the swelling and pressure on the joint. the facet joint injection would reduce the pain associated from movement in the joint space. trouble is, which is causing your specific pain, since you seem to be suffering from both problems.

yeah, but what causes the impingement, and which nerves? is it the protruding disc that's pushing into the nerve? now it might sound like reducing the disc inflammation would reduce that, but its not always the case. sometimes its the facet joint nerves that become a problem and the introduction of cortisone in the space causes relief. Have you talked to a pain management doc yet?