My husband had them in 2005, when he had back pain and bulging disc at L4-L5-S1.

In his words: "The first injection was magic. The second was tragic."

The first one apparently relieved a lot of the swelling and irritation around the nerve cluster. He felt better almost immediately, and it lasted about a month. He went back for a second injection about 6 weeks after the first, and he was never out of pain again.

We later discovered that the disc had ruptured fully, and then pieces of the hard, calcified disc were now broken off, and sitting directly on top of the nerve cluster. When he finally conceded to the surgery, 5 months after the injections, it was a mechanical process - once the disc fragments were removed, the pain was immediately better.

So, in our experience - it may help, it may not. FWIW, his doctor said they are rarely effective after three injections, since it's more of a short-term solution, like taking Tylenol for the pain of the concussion. It will wear off. If it's a temporary inflammation, it's useful. If it's a structural extrusion of the disc, it's not.

Sandi