Any time there is disc degeneration, there is often associated nerve pain. Are the pains you describe in your back or do they run down into your leg/legs?

Thanks for responding. The shooting sharp pain seems to have started on the right side near the waist and shoots to the middle of the low back. Today I've noticed that it is starting closer to the cheekbone in the butt and even has started as far right as near as the thigh/back cheekbone area. It always shoots to the middle of the back. If I'm correct when I say butt cheekbone, I'm guessing thats where the sciatica nerve is. So far it has not been shooting down my let, it just stays in the low back area.

It sounds suspiciously like your facet joints. If you did get even temporary relief from the facet injection I would think that is a good sign of the facet joints causing the problem. It sounds like that is what your doc is trying to determine as the injections are normally diagnostic in nature. I have arthritis in my facet joints and my pain is what you are describing. At first the pain was worse after sitting or laying and after getting up and moving around it would get better. I wake up stuck in a bent position and have to literally walk myself up the bedpost. It has gotten worse over the years. If I try and walk with no support for any length of time my lower back will lock up on me. I also get the shooting pain down my leg but it does stop at the knee. Has never gone all the way down to the toes. Be patient with your PM. It really sounds like he is on the right track and there are a few things that can be tried if the problem is in the facet joints. Good luck to you and please keep us posted.

Thank you for your comments. I had a pretty good day today. When I first got up this morning, once again I got that shooting, electrifying pain near the middle of the low back. After I was up for a while I only got it one more time, after sitting. Just a short time ago, I laid down on the bed and once I got up, there was that shooting pain again.

I hope when I see my PM doc this coming week, he doesn't think I'm nuts. I don't remember how many of these shots you are able to get in such a short time, but if its even possible that another one will help with these shooting pains, I'm all for it. If it doesn't help then I don't know what to do next. I have even thought about chiropractic but I'm afraid with that more damage will be done. My other thought was maybe accupuncture. Anyone have accupuncture for this problam?

I would stay away from a chiropractor. I went to one in the beginning and they helped at first but made things much worse in the long run. You might want to check out the Alternative Treatments Topic here as I did see a thread about accupuncture there. Good luck with the PM and do keep us posted.

Seeing my PM doc tomorrow for follow up. Sharp shooting pains still coming mostly after resting, or sleeping and sometimes during the day. Walking for a period of time beginning to have the low back start aching too.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Just a thought - have you had a positional MRI or standing/flexion x-rays? Sometimes these can show issues that a standard MRI can't. My MRI showed herniations but positional/flexion x-rays showed spondylolisthesis and sent me in another direction of treatment. Might be one more tool to help find the answers to what is causing your pain.

Nothing to add to the fine comments from the ladies above but wanted to let you know that this is the place to "ramble on" anytime!

Best of luck to you in tryiing to get to the bottom of your current pain -- sounds like you have a good pain management doc. Stay the course and I'm sure you'll get results. I know it takes the patience of a saint when you're in pain to go through this process and it does make you depressed, but you're not alone -- we've all been there. My PC doc prescribed something for me which helped tremendously.

Take care,

Judy

Thanks for letting me ramble on. I'm beginning to think that all I do os gripe about the pain. I had microdisectomy on 3 herniated discs in 2007. L4, L5, S1 and after my last MRI he said I had 4 degenerative discs. I ddon't understand why those degenerative discs didn't show up two mri's ago.

All of theother mri's I had they said I could leave my jeans (elastic waist) on and this last one only panties were allowed to be kept on. Do you suppose that the jeans were hiding the degenerative discs? Is that possible?

Thanks for letting me ramble on. I'm beginning to think that all I do os gripe about the pain. I had microdisectomy on 3 herniated discs in 2007. L4, L5, S1 and after my last MRI he said I had 4 degenerative discs. I ddon't understand why those degenerative discs didn't show up two mri's ago.

All of theother mri's I had they said I could leave my jeans (elastic waist) on and this last one only panties were allowed to be kept on. Do you suppose that the jeans were hiding the degenerative discs? Is that possible?

This last time I had my mri at a different location, actually at the hospital

Hi All,

I saw my PM doc today and he recommended doing a RFTC dorsal medial branch block L3, L4, L5, S1

Has anyone had this done and if so did it help with your pain.

I also have the pains in my waist, but it is mostly on the left side then goes all the way across to my right side and down my right leg to my left foot.
I had fusion surgery on L5 S1 in July 09. Going to the doctor on Dec. 1st. For my first check up after surgery he wants to do a fusion on T11-12 T12-L1 L1-2
as soon as I get over this one. i would get your doctor to check out your T spine with mri/xrays to rule out your T spine.

Don't worry about rambling on here. Everyone has been such a great help to me.

Joyce

Hi Granny5,

To answer your question, its not possible for your jeans to hide the degenerative discs. The MRI works with a large magnet, this is why you're not allowed to wear anything metal around it. Not only could the magnet pull metal objects toward it but also any metal on or in your body could alter the images. That's the reason you were even allowed to keep your jeans on. Do you have copies of your MRI's? When looking at the image, the degenerative discs are usually 'blacked out' because of the water loss in the discs. I'm betting that you had it but maybe it wasn't mentioned to you? Sometimes herniated discs are caused by the underlying degenerative process.

Hope this helped!
Christine