Why Steroid Injections Don't Help?

[energyofhope]

I have always wondered why I don't get benefit from selective nerve blocks or epidural steroid injections. At best, the results are absolutely neutral, with no reaction whatsoever. But at worst, when they've hit the problem spot head on, I go into a terrible long lasting flare-up. When the flare-up subsides, my symptoms return to the same intensity levels as before the injection. So, the injections either don't help, or make things worse, no benefit...

Has anyone else experienced the same pattern? If so, have your doctors ever given you a good explanation for this (opposite) result. It would be good to figure out if this points at a specific kind of pathology.

I suspect that something that chronically irritatates/inflames nerves is responsible, but then I've read that many people with this diagnosis get benefit from the injections, so I don't know. Any ideas?