Patients are advised not to expect immediate pain relief. In about half the cases, patients notice a change within the first two weeks after injection. Many patients continue to notice gradual improvement over the next six months. Some patients even report continued gains up to a year later.
In some cases, symptoms get worse for a day or two after the injection. The average person gets pain relief three to four days later. If you’ve had a compressed disc for a long time, scar tissue or adhesions can form in the area where the injection goes.
When this occurs, a flare-up can occur after the injection. The air that is injected with the steroid puts pressure on the spinal nerve causing increased pain and other neurologic symptoms such as numbnes, tingling, or weakness. Many people do get good results with steroid injection, so it’s a good option when other conservative treatment has failed.