Well it depends... I knew an old lady who had pain medication injected into her spine and she felt a lot better... and I had a friend who had corticosteroids injected in her spine and it did nothing for her and cost her hundreds and hundreds of dollars. They put me on all the above mentioned meds, and after trying a couple of them... I stopped. Muscle relaxers relax muscle... not bone. If you have arthritis, muscle relaxers will do nothing but make you tired. Opiate based pain medication will do the same thing.. but dull the pain. I found a couple of things that have helped me..... and may or may not help you.
1. Balance ball. I sit on it, and lay on it. Especially when my L5 S1 is acting up. It seems to open up the vertebrae enough to relieve some pressure. (the fitness trainer at the gym agreed it was the best thing)
I take a lot of ibuprophen (advil)
I Ice my back a lot (Ice reduces inflammation and will make some swelling go down, but might aggravate your arthritis)
I have pain and nerve problems meaning that sometimes my leg goes numb if the nerve is impinged. The swelling is what causes the nerve to get "pinched" so using anti inflammatory nsaids, and using Ice work well for me.
You also need to strengthen the core (abdominal muscles in the front) which will help you support your back.... at least this is what the sadistic personal trainer told me.
PM me if you want to know a few more tricks that might work.
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