I've had several "epidural floods." Injecting cortisone into the spine. Big needle. Works well. Haven't had one since I retired. (I used to lift heavy stuff)
DW says her dr. gave her smaller cortisone injections back there. A bit different. I suppose a new method? She didn't report it working as well. Best of Luck

Several years ago I had a couple of shots; IIRC lumbar spinal stenosis was the culprit.  For the first one, I don't think the needle had reached it's target and the relief was immediate and immense..... a Godsend, I tells ya!   Six months later I went for a repeat, only this time apparently the doc had trouble getting the needle to the target and the pain was so bad I was on the verge of telling the doc to STOP!!  In any event, that one didn't help noticeably ... an anesthetist later explained it  with: "Well, obviously he didn't get it in the right place."   I was on gabapentin long-term, but it did v-e-r-y little w.r.t. the pain, and it made me mentally less sharp than I'd normally be, so I said "to heck with this noise."   Nowadays I still get an occasional  "Aye yai yai!" moment I associate with a certain leg movement, but the back "problem" has largely fixed itself and/or has been overtaken by other more pressing* ailments.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.   

Fwiw, I've had successful cortisone injections in other joints.         I hope you soon find a suitable solution.

* no pun intended.

Edit: While down to the big city for one of ^^ shots, I spoke to a lady who had been getting similar shots every 4 months for some years at that point, and seemed to be satisfied with the result.

Who in the heck needs stuff like cortisone when you could use ReliveX instead?   

Following my ^^ post yesterday, today, like clockwork the ads start on Facebook:  https://relivex.com/en-ca?srsltid=AfmBOoqURG_iBrwW2Vmy24XzL32ncD7cS6qLcxSQAW6_biejvGuwMQYM

Won’t know till ya try. Everyone is different and every case is different. I’ve had both, neck & back. Neck didn’t work for more than 48 hrs. Back worked for a long time. Was misdiagnosed though. If the problem is serious enough, injections are usually short term just to delay having surgery. JMO.
Slammer!!!

my wife renee is going through something similar right now.... she has already had a neck fusion a couple of years ago.. now they are trying shots to ,,not working ,, next rehab.... she has to jump through the hoops before insurance will allow another surgery.....sorry for your pain.

Hey, I know this may sound radical, but please consider carefully:

I get acupuncture-type treatment monthly from my Urologist! They put a painless needle in my left ankle and attach a variable voltage electrode to it for 30 min.
It’s Medicare funded for at least the last 25 years. The pills are too expensive and not on my formulary!

Acupuncture for other situations like yours is also funded and can be prescribed!

I’ve had (cortisone) prednisone in my feet, both knees and hands due to Osteoarthritis,

I had NOVACAINE!! In my back for lumbar stenosis, but they scared me too much, they were in a hurry and scammed Medicare for the co pay and it didn’t work for pain, and the same risks as you describe

The way you describe it really gives me the jitters and you know I’m a class behind you in school, so you are quite correct in your reticence and doubt.
Please do more research, you have rights and you don’t need a damn chair with wheels.
I hope this helps, some acupuncturists are also herbalists which turns me off. But you might find a sympathetic female practitioner who could guide you to a more normal path. Best wishes, really, you are too valuable here!

Ads on Facebook collect your private information, I recommend snake oil.

I had a lower back epidural once, it did kill the pain enough to tolerate additional therapy and treatment. (The following surgery 30 years of so later) did however, "nick" very slightly my spinal cord. My left foot remains a bit numb with occasional drop-foot to this day.
Back in the day, as a football player, I used to on Friday afternoon get a Novocain shot in the elbow, so I could tolerate the cortisone injection when the Novocain kicked in. That allowed me to tolerate the pain on Saturday's football game...and to tolerate the further injury. In the end, my collegiate football days were cut short.
brad

Thanks for all the information and ideas. I take my final MRI tomorrow and then discuss what happens next with the people at the Pain Clinic. Don't know what I'm going to do right now. Will make that decision later.

When replacing my knees, I had to sign away the possible outcomes to get pro anesthesia. If they nick your nerve shroud one could get drop foot permanently.
Pain Clinic is the key word here
I wish you a healthy outcome