Getting any relief will depend on whether or not your pain is SIP or SMP. Blocks give relief to Sympathetically Maintained Pain but for how long varies from person to person. If the pain is Sympathetically Independent there is no relief at all. The only affect would be the skin being normal temp and color for awhile. This is all it did for me. I had my one and only block done just over a year after it started. I got no relief from pain at all. It was a disaster in other ways and that's why I only had the one.

They use flouroscopy which is a big word for live x-ray. This helps the doc place the block in the exact spot it needs to go. Most docs knock you out for a couple of minutes while it's done. My leg was completely numb for around 10 hours after so I couldn't walk or anything. They usually keep you there for awhile after the block to check leg temp and to make sure you won't have any adverse side effects. It's advised you rest completely for the first 24 hours or so. If it does give you relief from the pain then resting will allow the block to do its job and interrupt the cycle. Other than that spot on your lower back being a bit sore, as Michelle mentioned, there shouldn't be any problems.

Hugs,

Karen