DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have osteoarthritis in my spine. About a month ago, I got a steroid shot in my lower back because my doctor said it might help with stiffness and pain in my back and legs. It worked wonderfully, and my symptoms are gone now. How does this medicine work? If the pain comes back, could another one of these shots take care of it again? Or is my arthritis gone? ANSWER: The injection you received likely contained a corticosteroid medication. These powerful drugs can be very useful in treating many conditions that cause joint pain, including osteoarthritis. How long the effects of a corticosteroid injection last can vary quite a bit, depending on your health and the severity of your symptoms. If your pain returns, you may be able to get another injection. Because of the possibility of serious side effects, though, the number of injections and how often you can receive them is limited. Unfortunately your arthritis is not gone, even if you are not currently having any symptoms.
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: How effective is surgery to treat scoliosis in adults? What does the surgery involve? ANSWER: Fortunately for most adults who have scoliosis, the condition can be successfully managed without surgery. For some who suffer from an overly tilted or arthritic spine, though, surgery can be very effective at relieving symptoms. The surgery is a complex procedure and can include removing some spinal joints and connecting two or more of the bones in the spine together to properly balance the spine and improve quality of life. Scoliosis is a three-dimensional change in the normal shape of the spine that leads to excessive sideways or forward curves. It most often develops in children during the growth spurt just before puberty. But some adults can suffer from scoliosis, too.
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis about 12 years ago. I haven’t had many symptoms over the years, but about six months ago I started noticing increasing discomfort in my legs. Is surgery an option to treat spinal stenosis? If not, what else can I do? The leg pain is making it hard for me to walk. ANSWER: Surgery usually isn’t necessary to treat spinal stenosis. Often a combination of lifestyle changes, physical therapy and medication can effectively decrease the pain and discomfort caused by this common back problem. Spinal stenosis occurs when the open space within your spine narrows, causing pressure and irritation to the nerve tissue. It can happen for a variety of reasons, but most of the time spinal stenosis is a result of aging and the buildup of arthritis. In some cases, spinal stenosis does not cause any symptoms and may be found during a medical test done for another reason. Spinal stenosis, and the nerve compression that is associated with it, tends to develop slowly. Over time, it can put pressure on your spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine to your arms and legs, and possibly cause symptoms. If the nerves affected are in your neck — the part of your spine called the cervical spine — that may cause numbness, weakness or tingling in an arm or hand, or trouble with coordination in a leg or foot. It often causes problems with walking and balance. Nerves to your bladder or bowel can be affected, too.
