Your Schmorl’s nodes go along with soft endplates when you were young. This can be a form of Scheuermann’s disorder associated with degenerative disc disease in the thoracic spine which has a higher chance of herniation. Classic Scheuermann’s has wedging of vertebra and deformity but there is a variant that only has endplate changes without deformity. It is what it is- so don’t think too long and hard about it.
I still think at your point that epidurals can be effective. The success rate is not 100% but I believe relief can be gained in about 60-70% of patients. The question is how long the relief may last. It may be 3 weeks or 9 months. The pain level may drop by some percentage also permanently.
Dr. Corenman
PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.