Are These Spine Injections Really Still Working?

This is the question I’ve been asking myself for the last few months.

In August, I had spine injections that were supposed to be in my sacro-transverse joints on both the right and left sides. They did both sides in the same day, and my body had a mild reaction. The entire day, it felt like my body was on fire, and I had no energy, spending two days in bed recovering from these injections. Later, when I got more information about the procedure, I found out they hadn’t injected the sacro-transverse joints (which are rare to find). Instead, they injected the sacroiliac joints, which are very close to the intended area.

The irony was that as soon as I stepped out of the clinic, I got a call from another clinic in Westmount to book the exact appointment I’d just had. I made a bold decision and took it, because I suspected there had been a mistake in the procedure.

I booked the follow-up appointments for October. The following week, I picked up the reports from the clinic that did the injection as proof it was in the wrong location, and I went to see the doctor who had originally prescribed the injections. I showed him the reports, and he agreed for me to go ahead with these injections.

The sacro-transverse appointments were scheduled just under two months after the sacroiliac ones, but this time, I was with a doctor knowledgeable about Bertolotti Syndrome. Let me tell you—it’s such a relief to find the right doctor in Montreal who knows where to inject.

On the first day, we did the left side, as it was the more accessible side. The procedure went well. When I left, I started sneezing a bit, likely a mild allergic reaction, but something manageable compared to the potential benefit of these injections. I went to work right after these injections and I remember being in the absolute worst pain of my life. I thought I was going to have to go down to the emergency room. Thankfully my boss saw and let me leave early that day.

Four days later, with the same medical team, I went in for the second round on the right side. The doctor told me upfront he wasn’t sure if it was a sacro-transverse joint and that he’d need to look carefully. If he didn’t see it, he’d have to inject the sacral transverse joint instead.

I lay on the table for over ten minutes while he and the radiologist reviewed the file, and he eventually found it. He told me it was a hairline structure, very easy to miss. He decided to inject two locations to improve the outcome, and after another 15 minutes, the procedure was over.

The whole reason for this post is that, despite undergoing four different injections in my spine, my pain level is still very high—continuously high. My spine hurts, my pelvis hurts, and I’m often in a bad mood because of it. I have bruises all over my back and surrounding areas. Every time I go to the chiropractor, I’m told I’m too tight, and while adjustments help, my body quickly reverts back.

So, is it that my pain levels are just so high right now that these injections are only managing to lower it from a 10 to around 6-7? Or are they not working at all, meaning I might need to find an entirely new treatment plan? I’m also on biologic medication, so maybe they don’t mix well with the injections? Or is something else entirely causing these flares?

Who knows. But I can tell you, the pain is extremely high, I can’t get it under control, and it’s been months.

I guess that’s enough rambling for now. Let’s see what happens.

The other two images show needles in the actual joint. Some of the needles are extremely long and terrify me.