From what I have heard...lumbar sympathetic blocks work the best if done within the first 6 months and then the chances for relief drop dramatically. There are many people though who get relief after that point and continue to do series of blocks to reduce their pain way beyond the 6 month mark.

This is a very common first step in treatment...unfortunately by the time many of us get diagnosis it's already past the 6 month mark.

The key with the blocks is that they work with sympathetically maintained pain but not sympathetically independent pain (I think that's how it goes). If your pain has not converted to sympathetically independent pain yet then you should get some relief.

There are other variables that can alter the effectiveness of the blocks. There are different med combos used, some use sedation and some not, some use fluoroscopic guidance and some do not, etc. Hitting the exact right spot can make a difference if you get relief or not. I will say that if you've had a block in the past and got relief from it then that's a good sign that you might respond well to this sort of treatment.

Unfortunately, not only did I not get relief from this procedure but it actually caused my CRPS to spread to my upper body (everything from my waist to my neck including both arms and hands). This is VERY uncommon and rare...but it can happen. I wouldn't let my experience put you off it but you should realize there is a slight chance that this can happen as they are sticking a needle in your spine. ANY trauma can cause spread...even from a blood draw. On the invasiveness scale this procedure is still pretty low when compared to ketamine treatments or SCS...but it is more invasive than PT, meds, TENS, etc.

As far as mobility...just do what you can. Push as much as you can but not further. The important thing is to not give up on it. On a bad day when you just have to rest there should be some exercises you can do while sitting or in bed that will keep you moving without flaring up the pain too bad. I STILL use those on my bad days (had a couple this week when I got some bad bug bites on my bad leg...couldn't hardly walk at all so did my exercises while I was sitting/laying on the couch).

Sounds like you are on the right track and are doing what you need to. Another thing I might recommend is if heat helps you, you could buy some of those thermacare heat patches (or the generic ones like them) to use during the day. I love these because I can wear them while I got about my day for relief. Just make sure they are HEAT patches and not the kind with any cooling or anything like that...heat is what you need.