Comments on Pain-Topics.org News/Research UPDATES: Harms of Epidural Steroid Injections Examined

Thank you, Dr. Ligham. We always appreciate the in...

2012-02-19T08:18:56.676-06:00

Thank you, Dr. Ligham. We always appreciate the insights and observations from practitioners in the field. -- SBL

I think that spine related pain is complicated and...

2012-02-19T07:59:03.605-06:00

I think that spine related pain is complicated and usually involves several distinct and separate pain generators. The degree that radiculopathy responds to steroids depends upon whether symptoms are related to inflammatory as opposed to compressive irritation. In chronic pain PTS, injections have multiple indications: diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment. Frequently epidural injections resolve

I am glad to see that the FDA is now actually doin...

2012-02-02T14:43:37.858-06:00

I am glad to see that the FDA is now actually doing a much needed examination of these procedures.
In 1978 I broke my back in the Army requiring a L4,L5,S1 fusion. The years since then have been filled with a lot more bad days than good. In 1986 I re-injured my back and this is when the steroid injections began. The first 3 or 4 helped, then I moved to a different state. I endured injections

I agree with the above comments...I am now a disab...

2012-01-10T11:03:55.248-06:00

I agree with the above comments...I am now a disabled nurse from spinal degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis. My condition started around the age of 35. I am now 54, and have to travel out of state for Interventional Spine Medicine, the best choice for care I have made. I am treated with a great deal of compassion.

Thank you for the comments immediately above. I ag...

2012-01-09T10:44:05.024-06:00

Thank you for the comments immediately above. I agree that we shouldn't think of these chronic pain disorders as being most common in older persons. This myth probably stems in part from the fact that researchers have easy access to the large, Medicare database in the U.S., which, of course, focuses on persons over age 65. There is no comparably extensive database for younger persons. -- SBL

Your article presents excellent information. Howev...

2012-01-09T10:35:59.439-06:00

Your article presents excellent information. However I must challenge the myth perpetuated in the "Bloomberg article claims":specifically that "an aging population prone to back and neck pain".

I submit that CHRONIC back and neck pain is actually a disease of younger adults with onset when they are between 20 and 40 years of age. That is based on the numbers seen in