Epidural Didn’t Help My Sciatica — What Should I Do Next? | La Jolla, CA

If you've already had one or more epidural injections for sciatica and you're still dealing with leg pain, numbness or tingling, it's reasonable to wonder how many times you should keep repeating the same thing.

Some patients get very good relief from an epidural. Others get a few weeks or months. Some don't notice much change at all.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC sees all three.

What he doesn't like to do is assume that because an injection didn't solve the problem, surgery is automatically next. Before making that decision, he wants to understand what's causing the sciatica, what your MRI actually shows and how you've responded to everything you've already tried.

Dr. Boelk has treated disc injuries and sciatica for more than 22 years and has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments. His clinic has seven DRX9000 systems and is the largest known Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression clinic in Southern California.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I Tried Many Different Non Invasive Treatments, Pain Killers but Relief Was Just Temporary.”

“I could get back to surf, jiu jitsu and work after 6 months away.”

“When I first came here I was suffering from sciatica pain for several months non stop. I tried many different non invasive treatments, pain killers but relief was just temporary. I heard about Dr. Boelk on social media and after reading other people testimonials about him I decided to try. It felt better since my first session. After 12 I felt I was improving a lot but still had room to get better so we decided trying 12 more. After 36 sessions I felt I was back to normal. I could get back to surf, jiu jitsu and work after 6 months away. Doctor helped me through the whole process, leaving me free to decide the next step and being honest about expectations. I totally recommend for all my friends that suffer from sciatica pain. It’s worth 100%.”

— Yuri Fresia

Yuri had already tried other non-invasive treatments and pain medication. What he wanted wasn't simply another way to temporarily manage the pain. He wanted to get back to surfing, jiu jitsu and work.

That's usually where the conversation starts with Dr. Boelk: what have you tried, what happened, and what is the sciatica still preventing you from doing?

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Before You Schedule Another Injection, Get Another Opinion

Dr. Boelk offers a No-Charge Consultation for patients who want to sit down and go through their case before deciding what to do next.

You don't need to know whether you want spinal decompression. That's not the point of the consultation.

Bring your MRI if you have one and tell Dr. Boelk what's happened so far.

He'll want to know:

• Where the sciatica travels and whether you have numbness, tingling or weakness.

• What you did in physical therapy and whether it helped.

• How you responded to the epidural.

• How much relief you got and how long it lasted.

• Whether you've had more than one injection and whether each one worked differently.

• How long you can comfortably sit, stand and walk.

• What your MRI actually shows and whether it matches your symptoms.

• Whether there are reasons spinal decompression would not be appropriate.

If Dr. Boelk believes Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be worth considering, he'll explain why.

If he doesn't think you're a candidate, he'll tell you that too.

There is no charge and no obligation to begin treatment.

Dr. Boelk personally performs these consultations while also treating his existing patients, so the office only sets aside a limited number of consultation appointments during the week.

Call 619-298-0800 and ask about the next available No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

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What Does It Mean If the Epidural Helped but the Pain Came Back?

This is actually pretty common to hear in the office.

A patient will say, “The first injection was great. I felt better for two months. Then it all came back.”

Another patient might say the injection cut the pain in half but never changed the numbness in the foot.

Someone else gets almost no relief.

Those are three different responses, and Dr. Boelk wants to know which one sounds like you.

An epidural steroid injection is used to reduce inflammation around an irritated nerve. If inflammation is contributing to your symptoms, reducing it may give you significant relief.

But Dr. Boelk also wants to know what's happening around that nerve.

If you have an L4-L5 or L5-S1 disc herniation, for example, the disc problem may still be present even though the inflammation temporarily settled down. The same is true when there is significant narrowing around the nerve.

That doesn't mean the injection was unsuccessful. If it gave you three months of good relief, that's meaningful.

It just may not have addressed everything contributing to the problem.

If You've Had Two or Three Injections, Look at the Pattern

This is where your history becomes helpful.

Let's say the first injection gave you three months of relief.

The second gave you three weeks.

The third barely changed anything.

That's something Dr. Boelk wants to know.

On the other hand, if an injection gave you excellent relief for a long period of time and your doctor believes repeating it is appropriate, that's a different conversation.

There isn't one rule for everybody.

The mistake is treating the fact that “you've had an epidural” as if that's all the information we need.

It's not.

Bring the MRI, Not Just the Report

Patients sometimes come in with a report that says they have a 4 mm disc protrusion, foraminal stenosis or degenerative disc disease and assume that tells the whole story.

It doesn't.

Dr. Boelk prefers to look at the actual images whenever they're available.

He wants to see the disc. He wants to see the available space around the nerve. Then he compares that with what you're telling him.

If you have an L5 nerve problem, for example, do your symptoms follow a pattern that makes sense for L5?

Where is the numbness?

Where does the pain go?

Is there weakness?

Does sitting make it worse, or is standing and walking the bigger problem?

An MRI is much more useful when it matches the clinical picture.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I Will Not Go to Anyone Else for Back Treatment”

“I have 3 bulging disc and one is touching the nerve.”

“I travel from the UK to see Dr Boelk and his wonderful team . I have 3 bulging disc and one is touching the nerve. I have the spinal decompression treatment and it really helps keep me in my active life . I will not go to anyone else for back treatment, this place is number one and they genuinely care about their patients.”

— Lisa S., United Kingdom

Lisa travels from the United Kingdom for care. What she points out in her review is something Dr. Boelk hears from a lot of active patients: the goal isn't simply to make an MRI look better. They want to stay active and keep doing the things that are important to them.

Where Does Spinal Decompression Fit?

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression isn't a replacement for every epidural injection, and it isn't appropriate for every person with sciatica.

Dr. Boelk commonly evaluates patients with disc herniations, disc bulges, degenerative disc disease, disc-related sciatica, foraminal narrowing and selected cases of spinal stenosis.

The clinic uses the DRX9000 exclusively.

Before recommending it, Dr. Boelk looks at the entire case. That includes your MRI when available, your neurological symptoms, previous surgery, spinal stability, bone health and how you've responded to other treatment.

If the problem doesn't make sense for decompression, you shouldn't be on the machine.

Pay Attention to What You're Losing

Pain scores can be misleading.

You may tell someone your pain is only a 4 today, but you haven't exercised in three months because you're afraid of setting it off.

You may not have much pain sitting at your desk, but you can't walk around La Jolla for 20 minutes without your leg going numb.

Maybe you've stopped golfing, surfing or going to the gym. Maybe you're avoiding trips because sitting on a plane sounds miserable.

That's part of the problem too.

Dr. Boelk wants to know whether your life is opening back up or slowly becoming more restricted.

There Are Times When Surgery Needs to Be Considered

Dr. Boelk has spent more than two decades treating patients who are looking for non-surgical options, but that doesn't mean surgery should always be avoided.

Progressive weakness is concerning. Significant neurological loss needs to be taken seriously. New bowel or bladder dysfunction, difficulty controlling or initiating urination, or numbness involving the saddle region requires prompt medical evaluation.

There are also patients whose imaging and clinical findings make a surgical consultation the appropriate next step.

Dr. Boelk has turned patients away from spinal decompression for exactly that reason.

★ “I'm Glad I Took the Time to Meet With Him”

“Just not in my personal case.”

“Very nice Dr. and Honest ! I would definitely recommend anyone who hasn't had metal put in there back in a surgery to go to him and give his program a shot. I believe it would definitely help. Just not in my personal case. As I have a lot of hardware in my back. But I'm glad I took the time to meet with him. It was very informative all around.”

— Toni W., Lake Elsinore, CA

Toni came in hoping Dr. Boelk might be able to help, but the hardware in her back meant she wasn't an appropriate candidate for his treatment.

She still felt the consultation was worth making the trip.

That's why the first decision doesn't need to be whether you want treatment. It can simply be whether you want Dr. Boelk to look at your case and tell you what he thinks.

About Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC

Dr. Boelk has more than 22 years of experience with Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression and has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments.

His background includes:

• Doctor of Chiropractic

• Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor

• Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist (PPSC)

• Founder, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy

• Trains other doctors in spinal decompression protocols and techniques

• Founding Member, American Spinal Decompression Society

• Member, International Disc Education Association

• California X-Ray Radiation Supervisor & Operator

He also has personal experience with significant spinal injury, including an L5 compression fracture at age 16 and later disc injuries and sciatica.

Your Epidural Didn't Give You the Result You Hoped For. Find Out Why.

If you've already gone through PT, medication and one or more epidural injections, you have a lot of useful information about your back.

Bring it with you.

Bring the MRI if you have it. Tell Dr. Boelk what the injection did, how long it helped and what you're still unable to do.

Then let him tell you whether he believes Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression is worth considering—or whether you should be looking in another direction.

The consultation is with Dr. Boelk personally. There is no charge and no obligation to begin treatment.

Only a limited number are available because he performs the consultations himself while continuing to treat his existing patients.

Call 619-298-0800 and ask about the next available No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego
5095 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92123

619-298-0800
SanDiegoBackCare.com

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