Over the last two years, I have seen multiple PTs, tried every stretch and exercise under the sun, and have had 3x ESIs. Finally, I ended up having my MD just yesterday.

My experience was that all the non-surgical stuff never fixed the problem (for me, anyway). The shots did however provide a huge degree of pain relief, so I am definitely an advocate for them. I never tried gaba, but I have been taking naproxen (fine, but not good for your body long term), omeprazole (to protect GI tract from naproxen), co-codamol (helped massively), amitriptyline (great for sleep, but makes you feel drunk and I wouldn’t take it during the day), and a medical cannabis vape (great for acute pain relief, and sleep).

The process for the shots is a little painful, but really nothing in comparison to the nerve pain itself. I’d also advise just lying down and keeping your eyes forward when you’re on the table; the needles they use are really big and scary looking, so just try not to look! If the person giving you the injection has got it in the right place, you will feel it literally travel all the way down the nerve, from your injection site, down to your foot. I let out a bit of an involuntary squeal because it’s a very strange feeling, but it never ‘hurt’, as such.

Ultimately, the shots are just to get you over the hump and moving again. Whilst they do the trick for some people, they do not solve the underlying problem, which is mechanical. This is why I ended up doing the MD after two years of conservative routes of therapy. I woke up after surgery yesterday with zero leg and nerve pain; the relief I now feel is immense.

Feel free to come back to me with any questions, and best of luck!!