The fact is that with few exceptions, re-operating on a 'failed back surgery syndrome' causes even more problems. Still, for selected patients with the right problems, surgery can make a big difference. People with spinal stenosis-a spine canal too tight for the nerve roots, and people with 'hypermobile' spine bones are sometimes best treated with surgery. The most common injection is an epidural steroid injection. Injections probably help with pain that radiates below the knee from a pinched nerve in the back, or pain that radiates into the arm from a neck problem.
Spinal injections are outpatient procedures.
Some people get worried about needles in the back, but in fact the safety record for steroid injection is quite high, many times better than back surgery, for instance. The medications often build up strength in the blood stream over a few days or weeks, so the doctor may ask a patient to keep taking a pre-scription until they're sure the drug has an effect. If there are troublesome side effects with a new pain medicine, it's usually best to stop the medicine and call the doctor's office for advice on what to do next. With chronic pain, doctors can't easily predict which medication will work best for an individual, so patience is needed. The good news is that there's nothing mysterious about whether a medication is working.