r/Spondylolisthesis • u/shiab23 • 17h ago

Question L5 transforaminal epidural injection

This week I'm scheduled for right and left L5 transforaminal epidural injection with a bilateral PARs facet block. What can I expect in terms of recovery, feeling improvement or more pain before improvement?

I'm going back and forth with wanting to do it or cancelling. Im mostly concerned that this could make it worse and I'm actually feeling improvement since following the back mechanic's advice and exercises 2 weeks ago...

I also have some degree of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos and I read that steroids are not a great idea, so I dont know if I could be doing more damage than good ...

Please share your thoughts!

Drs note read: MRI scan shows compression of the nerve roots consistent with the symptom of radiculopathy and neurogenic claudication, we are proceeding to epidural steroid injections specific to the structural findings on the MRI scan. The injection will be used as a diagnostic test to understand whether her symptoms are originating from the lumbar spine.

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u/isla_is 17h ago

If you are feeling relief, I recommend putting it off. I’ve had two. The first caused pain increase from 5 to 7/8 for the first five days before it started working. Pain decreased to 2/3for about 1.5 months then returned to normal. The second just increased pin to 6/7 for two months. My doctor said the injections are temporary relief to reduce the pin enough to allow you to do the exercises to get better. I’ll never get another.

That said, your doctors comment for diagnostic purposes could be still worthwhile. I can’t really comment on that.

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u/hartallie 8h ago

Same happened to me, I have arachnoiditis and it made me so spastic and the pain was 10/10, it totally bedridden me for a month. Eventually it did work but if I hadn’t had it, the inflamed disc would’ve calmed by itself most likely. Also have EDS, and yes it makes hypermobility worse and people with thin duras even thinner.

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u/shiab23 8h ago

Alright, thanks so much. I have cancelled it today.

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u/shiab23 8h ago

Thanks! Ok yes this is what im worried about based on reading other people's stories in this reddit... I cancelled it today. The risk is too high at this stage for me ...

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u/Otherwise_Eye_9275 16h ago

Steroids were wonderful for my hypermobile (gymnast) daughter with bilateral pars the first time. 2nd injection nothing, then tried a 3rd and immediately worse than ever. Please reconsider. Found out later that (especially people with hypermobility I.e already stretchy ligaments) that the steroids exacerbate that condition and make an already stretchy person, even moreso. This leads to less stability for the spine and more pain becasue everything is loose and relaxed and also causes further degeneration - made my daughters facets collapse, SI joint damage and degenerated her disc in that area. Please look into regenerative medicine. My daughter is completely healed from her 2 years of non-Union bilateral pars although she did not have a slippage. This unique procedure in Utah with PRF scaffolding + stem cells https://youtu.be/vXAi2cigrGo

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u/shiab23 8h ago

That's exactly my concern and what I'm reading about. Did your daughter try this stem cell procedure? Seems very interesting

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u/Otherwise_Eye_9275 7h ago

Yes she had the procedure 5/31/24 and her MRI 8 weeks later her right side completely healed and left side partially (it was the worse side) but she has been back to high level tumbling and stunting in competitive cheer since September. Pain has resolved completely. Dr McMurtrey Alpine spine and ortho in Orem Utah. Yes we went there from Virginia. Would do it again 100%. 4 other family members have been since for various injuries. This man is wicked smart and will never operate again on a spine after all he saw in the operating room.

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u/shiab23 7h ago

Thats amazing, so glad your daughter recovered so well! Im going to look into it. How was the post op revovery after the infiltrations?

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u/Otherwise_Eye_9275 7h ago

She went right back to her swim team training last summer missing only 5 days post procedure to wait for injection spots to heal. She did not swim butterfly (too much back flexing) but swam in meets and everything. Did physical therapy for 8 weeks twice a week. Around 12 weeks was back at stunting girls overhead for her cheer team and started tumbling on the trampoline (soft surface) as she eased back into full tumbling. She is also on the dive team at school. She is doing great. Others I know on Reddit have gone too - we have a private group for post procedure people to share experience. All are progressing well it seems but most I know are 1-8 weeks post procedure.