[cbloom]

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People I know have both good and bad to say about cortisone wrt back pain. Most say it does not last too long, but at this point I'll take a week and be happy.


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The problem most people have is they expect the wrong thing from the cortisone. (there are also other steroid injections you can get which may be better depending on your exact problems). They just get the shot, feel better for a while, don't do their therapy, and then the pain comes back the same as before.

The steroid provides some pain killing, but mainly reduces inflammation. This stops all the swollen tissues from putting pressure on the nerve and makes some more space where things can move around. It's just a temporary effect, though, and if you don't do anything else, the vertebrae don't move on their own and the problem will come right back. Basically the steroid gives you a month or so of "breathing room" where you can use exercise/chiro/PT/etc. to adjust your spine into a position where you aren't putting so much pressure on your nerves. If the steroid wears off and you've got your spine in a better position, the inflammation won't come back.