[Weldon]

#31120

Dr. Corenman, here is an update three weeks after receiving a transforaminal epidural injection. This was done by the pain management doctor at the spine center. She had similar credentials as the spine surgeons – top of her class, outstanding resident, and fellowship trained. She spent a considerable time with me doing a detailed explanation of how she would perform the procedure and duplicating some of the physical test that the surgeon’s APRN did two weeks earlier to make sure that she was in total agreement. The big discussion was whether to do this with a local or general anesthesia, which she said most of her patients used. She told me that I would experience pain from both the contrast solution for use with the fluoroscope and the medication due to the volume injected if I chose to use the local. Her reasoning was that I could give her valuable feedback so that she could more accurately inject the medicine to the nerves. I thought I could tough out a little pain. Well, it really HURT. But I am glad that I did it that way. She would asked me three times to describe exactly where it hurt. The first time, the pain looped over the left buttock. Did I say it hurt? The second time the pain was on the outer side of my left thigh. And the third was down my left calf to the outer side of my ankle and then to the front of the lower ankle. Her comment was that helped her to know she needed to inject higher and lower than normal and then thanked me for helping her.

After 45 -60 minutes in recovery (my BP was elevated). I was dismissed to make the 2.5 hour ride back to my home. By the time I got there most of my pain was gone. By noon the next day, I was pain free for the first time in three months. My BP and blood glucose level remained high for the first two weeks but slowly drifted lower. In week three, they are back to normal, though still on metformin that my PA prescribed. Before injury I would walk 8-13k steps a day but after inury, I could barely do 1500 steps with no more than 100 before having to sit. Now I am back up to 6-7K steps per day.

Most importantly, my foot drop symptom improved 50% in the first 48 hours. However, the improvement is pretty much leveled off. I have to really concentrate when walking to control my gait and the drop. Walking slowly also helps to about a 75% improvement.

In addition, to your coaching and the injection, I got a book on steps to a pain free back. Learning how to sleep, stand, sit and walk have helped also. My hope is with the treatment, better habits and PT I can slow down the aging process. And, I played golf again!!! Pain free!! Without your help, this probably would never have happened. Thanks, Weldon

[Donald Corenman, MD, DC]

#31121

Great to hear! Blood pressure (occasionally) and sugars (glucose-commonly) typically rises with steroids. Foot drop is quite unusual to improve with injections unless it was from pain inhibition. Hopefully you will get 6 months or more out of this injection and use injections for therapy in the future.

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.

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