Hi all,
On Wednesday a little after lunch, I had my first Cortisone injection in response to my on-going back issues.
I had a CT guided Cortisone injection and contrary to popular belief it really hurt despite an epidural (local anesthetic injected into the area). I had to be very still and it was almost impossible to flinch here and there. It was injected into the epidural space behind my spine.
The specialist said to me once he has the 22 Gauge needle in, ‘I’m just going to do some pushing and maneuvering to find the spot where the Cortisone needs to be delivered’ … Thats when it really hurt because he no doubt clipped a nerve or something and I had what felt like an electric shock even under the epidural.
In the end the injections were a success however which was good news. I felt very numb and 0 or 1 out of 10 back pain (instant relief) but no leg pain or any other issues. I can see why this is so regularly used in elite sport as a quick response to a degrading injury as it does have an instant pain relief effect. Ｉｔ ａｌｓｏ ｆｅｅｌｓ ｌｉｋｅ ｉｔ ｆｒｅｅｓ ｔｈｅ ａｒｅａ ｕｐ ｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒａｂｌｙ！
I will keep a log of progress and what I have been able do since the injections
Day of Injections - Pre-injection Constant 1/10 back pain often increased to 2 or even 3/10 by sitting or quick movements in and out of flexion (bending forward).
Post Injections - Walked out of there on my own two feet but was groggy as hell and needed some help up stairs. Felt drunk. Very numb for the first 4 hours as epidural wears off, little to no pain but occasional spikes in pain as night wore on. Even up to 3/10 … Mostly felt pressure related like I had a lot of pressure in my back! Notably took some Nurofen Zavance (fast acting anti-inflam without steroids) just incase! 86.5kg
Day 1 - Up and walking no problem, up and down stairs fine, slept 9 hours on the first night quite easily. Walked around the shops for 10-15 minutes but mainly lay on my back or front all day in my room. Back Pain 1/10. Took two nurofen zavance before bed. 86kgs
Day 2 – Woke up at 530am and couldn’t get comfortable in bed. Only slept 5.5 hours. ITB and quads seem sore like I have done a big work out! perhaps lack of movement causing me to be unsettled. Back feels like pressure building in it which feels weird with the numbness. Pain 1/10. All in all still good, can walk about no problems and feel very energetic but need to stay frosty. Iced my back and will go for a walk this afternoon for 20 or so mins. 87.5kgs and rising （Ｏｂｖｉｏｕｓｌｙ ｖｅｒｙ ｓｅｄｅｎｔａｒｙ！）
Day 3 - Slept an amazing 11 hours (from around 1230pm on to about 1030am. Woke up with little to no back pain but still feeling like something not right. Weird tingling feeling in my little fingers on both hands like they are suffering from lack of blood flow … Went for a 30 min walk today with my little dog and just enjoyed being out of the house. Iced the disc region a bit after and had a hot cold shower and stretched gingerly! Otherwise another easy day of recovery.
Day 4 - Slept poorly 6 hours but that one can be blamed on not putting a pillow between my legs to support my spine. Woke up sore and stiff in lower lumbar. Went for an easy walk (about 30mins), felt great to warm up and get out of the bed. Trying to manage my weight now, primary food = chicken in a can (sweet chilli of course!), veges and some rice, loads of watered down staminade and the occasional breadstick sandwich. After walk warmed down with a stretch but only went 75% range. Everything way tight (especially hammys!)
Day 5 -Slept OK about 8 hours, Went for a walk with my old man in the national park near the house with the dogs for 45 minutes. Hot cold shower after and again a light stretch and a bit of core on and off activation. Felt pretty solid all day but probably because it was so damn hot that everything felt warm and freed up. Bit of a FR and pain about a 1/10 I can’t explain how that pain feels, its kind of like a constant pressure in my back compared to throbbing pain or sharp flexion pain of pre-injection. Weight 85.8kg
Week 2 – Feel like I can slowly get back into training. Again I feel stiffer more then in pain after doing forms of training like sailing, light gym and cycling on spin bike or walking. I find that any movement that allows compression of the spine causes temporary pain and can only imagine what it would be like if I had no cortisone! probably a full regression. Still on light duties.
Week 3 – Notable change. I now feel a little stiff when leaning backwards which I never EVER had before. (I only ever had pain in flexion). The physio says it is probably attributed to scarring around the joints from the cortisone and that it may take some time to break down. Training 4 days on the water, still under limitations – can’t run, cycle more then an hour, cant sail more then 2 – 2.5 hours etc. Still doing pilates and stretching as muscles are often strapped on and its hard to get them to release. Noticed yesterday in a breezy southerly on Sydney harbor when it got bumpy in terms of the chop and the laser slammed around a bit it was more uncomfortable then the last few days on flatter water or rolling swell. When the discs are damaged their ability to work as shock absorbers isnt great!
