Help with Back Issues

7/20/2009 12:06:38 AM	Help with Back Issues
katrinasq Mena, AR age: 40	I posted this in general discussion, and Foxy suggested I come here, so I hop you can give me some suggestions. I know this is not a medical site, and none of you even play a doctor on TV, but I sure would like some opinions based on experience, soooooo... I've had minor back issues over the years that are getting more and more frequent lately. Since I have a sister on SSI with severe back issues, I decided to see the doc, who sent me for an MRI and Physical Therapy. The MRI showed a bunch of mild things (bulging disc (but not herniaited), degenerative disc disease, narrowing of the spinal canal, bone loss, and scoliosis, all of which can correct naturally) but the symptoms were of something to do with the muscle between the spine and hip (sacre iliac?) rather than all the other stuff. Apparently, these muscles get inflamed and press on the nerves which causes incredible pain and make me lopsided and walk all hunched over for a few days. This was the same info my Chiropractor in NY told me, but have not seen another one since moving here 3 years ago. Anyway, in PT they did heat and massage, which was pretty painful and less than pleasant, then tried traction in an effort to stretch my spine out so the disc goes back in and will make the spinal canal narrowing and scoliosis to correct themselves, and also stretch those muscles out, too. They gave me exercise to do also to stretch those muscles out. I went back to the gym and things were better, but still not 100%. So why am I posting? My back went "out" again last night, so I'm back where I started. I wasn't even doing anything remotely strenuous. I'm wondering if I should ask about an anti inflammatory injection or something. I mean I'm 40, so a little young for this crap, and my second job is waiting tables, so this is an issue I need resolved ASAP. Anyone have these muscular issues?
7/20/2009 4:52:04 AM	Help with Back Issues
iamaperson Medicine Hat, AB age: 58	I have these issues all the time; but I am 58 soon to be 59. And my job is physical too (sometimes too physical). I just wait it out with over the counter pain meds. I do stretches about 3 times a day. It takes about 2 weeks before it feels better, in which time I am very careful because my back is very important to my work. I can hardly wait for retirement.
7/20/2009 5:50:41 AM	Help with Back Issues
sunnygrl09 Yucaipa, CA age: 45	Kat - i worked for an ortho for 9 years. I would suggest you see a specialist, you dont want the problem to get worse. But if not cared for properly, it can get worse. If it comes down to surgery, the procedures nowadays are minimally invasive. If you want to check some info out go to Arrowheadortho.com and check out Dr. John Steinmann, he's a genious when it comes to spines. Might be able to get some good info from the site and find someoene local. Best of luck to you my friend.
7/20/2009 7:18:37 AM	Help with Back Issues
storebought Broken Arrow, OK age: 52	Do the exercises religiously and stick with them. You'll note that in spite of all the other therapies you tried, that produced the best results. Also, consider your diet and lose weight if you're carrying more than you should. I've been a T5 paraplegic for 10 years and because I heed my own advice, I don't even take medication. Changing a lifestyle for the better involves some tough sacrifices, which is why most people would rather throw in the towel and collect SSI, but you'll never know the reward of feeling like a normal human being until you make them.
7/20/2009 8:30:43 AM	Help with Back Issues
foxy_woman_49 Omaha, NE age: 50	(this was my reply in general) It wont get resolved asap the shots you get through pain management..sometimes it helps and other times nothing you could try a chiropractor that might give you some relief Good luck..I've been dealing with pain issues since 2001 degenerative disc disease and scolioses doesnt get better Fibro is very painful deals with muscles,joints etc..I have that as well Try Singles with Disabilities here in DH Many have common problems and we all suffer with pain daily Like I said dont count on Epidural Injections working..I had 6 in 3 months time..barely any relief pain meds,anti inflammatory and muscle relaxers I have to take also you should be aware of the fact- which they dont tell you that those injections eat away at your bones!!! So be careful
7/20/2009 11:57:48 AM	Help with Back Issues
katrinasq Mena, AR age: 40	I do the exercise, and they help, but also make me a little sore. You are right, they do help more than anything. I have actually been working on weight loss, and the kicker is, this crap flared up AFTER losing 30 pounds and going down 2 pants sizes and derailed my workouts temporarily. I have a long way to go on that, too, but will stick with it. I haven't had any injections or nerve/joint blocks and the only muscle relaxer they gave me is Soma that is WAY strong you can only take at night as needed - nothing for the day, and no anti inflammatories, so I have been taking ibuprofen. My sister did give me some of her celebrex, and that has helped, but it's too expensive with my co pay even if they did prescribe it to me. I HATE taking the Darvocet they gave me, but it does help. I have a small hot tub, and after my muscles warm up, I have been doing some stretching in there, and that helps some. The water takes all the pressure off, too, so that is wonderful. I have found though that a heating pad, as much as I enjoy it and it feels good, seems to irritate the inflamed muscles, but I have been dating this really nice ice pack all weekend, lol. The traction did seem to help the first time they did it, but I didn't notice any improvement the second. The Doc said that what they found on the MRI is not enough to send me to a specialist, but I was wondering about an ortho doctor, too. I'll have to ask. Like I said, my sister has severe issues, so a lot of this isn't news to me, but no one mentions prevention. It was getting better with the exercises, and I even got back to the gym with the suggestions of the PT. I just wish I could figure out what causes this so I can prevent it from happening in the future. When it's out, even the most simple task is unbearable. The good news is that it gives me an excuse to teach my daughter how to cook some more and makes me sit on my ass, which I never do otherwise. I do have good shoes with orthotics in them from a doc in NY, and I have a good mattress.
7/20/2009 12:27:20 PM	Help with Back Issues
katrinasq Mena, AR age: 40	Quote from sunnygrl09: Kat - i worked for an ortho for 9 years. I would suggest you see a specialist, you dont want the problem to get worse. But if not cared for properly, it can get worse. If it comes down to surgery, the procedures nowadays are minimally invasive. If you want to check some info out go to Arrowheadortho.com and check out Dr. John Steinmann, he's a genious when it comes to spines. Might be able to get some good info from the site and find someoene local. Best of luck to you my friend. I did check the site out, and there is great information there. I actually sent it to my sister because she needs to look at surgical options for sure. She has more than one herniated disc, severe spinal stenosis, severe DDD, shooting pain and burning down her legs, etc. My issue seems to be those dang muscles, which could be caused by the other mild issues they found on my MRI.
7/21/2009 2:00:08 PM	Help with Back Issues
cinnimini Bentonville, AR age: 40	I had my SI joint go out of whack once. It was so painful, I had to lift my leg into the car. I went to an osteopath and he twisted me in to painful positions. It was painful but everything got better. I have fibromyalgia so I periodically have funky things happen. Anyway, it helped. Maybe someone can twist you into a pretzel. Of course, it would have to be a professional. If you have other issues, you don't want to make them worse.
7/21/2009 8:49:21 PM	Help with Back Issues
dreamin1951 Centralia, IL age: 58	Have you considered deep tissue massage and reflexology? I haven't seen my Chiropractor in over four years and I had been going to one since 1979. The reflexology hurts but really feels great when its over. The heat I use to use only made the pain worse after I quit due to vessel contraction. You might at least enjoy the massage.
7/21/2009 10:01:53 PM	Help with Back Issues
katrinasq Mena, AR age: 40	They did deep massage at PT, and it didn't feel remotely good, but I thought I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. It didn't help, and I think since those muscles are inflamed, it actually irritated the muscles. Honestly, the thing that helps the most is the stretching exercises, but was hoping someone would come up with something that I haven't tried so I'm not down a week when this happens. Also, anyone know how to PREVENT inflamed sacre iliac muscles? So what is reflexology? [Edited 7/21/2009 10:02:48 PM PST]
7/22/2009 6:08:38 AM	Help with Back Issues
ctprincess Danbury, CT age: 56 online now!	OMG!!!!! I can so relate to your issues. I have all my discs herniated from S1-L1. I have been through 2 back surgeries and they helped keep my discs from moving and causing more damage but did not ease the pain, numbness, swelling and everything in between. I have been going through this since I was 33 and pregnant with my first child (1986). No she did not cause the herniation. I was about 6 weeks pregnant at the time the disc herniated and that was the S1/L5. When she was 2 months old I had my first surgery, a laminectomy (1987). Helped take the pressure off the spinal cord but that was it. The sciatic nerve remained pinched anyway. Although the doctor swears that there was no pinching...my body disagrees with his prognosis. Then when the second disc herniated (L4) (2002) suddenly the S1/L5 was released and that is no longer an issue for the nerve. Once again, I went under the knife (micro-discectomy) for the L4 and to date still no real relief. I have swelling in my left leg and pain all over my lower back. I also need to pick up my left leg to get into the car so I can drive. I have also found out that the following discs have herniated as well...L3,L2 & L1. Of which, no surgery date has been planned. Now over the years I have tried pretty much everything under the sun...accupressure, accupuncture, PT, chiropractic, weight loss, exercises, anti-inflamatories, muscle relaxers, steriod treatments..you name it I tried it. No relief. My chiro does not want me to do any exercises as he says my back is too unstable because I too have DDD and my nerves are pinched in those tiny canals that I have. Sadly, my canals are pretty small even for the healthy nerves and adding the other issues to the mix is not helping. My doctor took X-Rays recently and I have been told that the discs are almost non existant at this point and I am almost bone on bone...talk about being in pain!! Oh boy!! I am trying to find a doctor that will be able to do a full disc replacement and take my insurance... not an easy task. Hope this helps......you know what they say...misery loves company but this is a misery that I wish I didn't have to share.
7/22/2009 8:00:54 AM	Help with Back Issues
katrinasq Mena, AR age: 40	My sister is in close to the same boat as you are, and it really sucks. I don't understand how they could put man on the moon 40 years ago, yet they can't replace discs in the back relatively routinely. My pain comes from the muscle between the spine and hip being inflamed, so you'd think it would be relatively simple. [Edited 7/22/2009 8:01:20 AM PST]
7/22/2009 10:17:39 AM	Help with Back Issues
dreamin1951 Centralia, IL age: 58	I agree it hurt a lot. I forced my self to go for deep tissue in that area. I went three days a week for three weeks and then started to taper off. Now I just do monthly maintenance. It does inflame the muscle because it is stretching it. It releases a lot of lactic acid and I had to learn to drink lots (lots) of water. The muscle will try to keep on tightening back up until it is finally relaxed. All the stretching exercises only seemed to be working the surface muscles on me. I am sorry it did not work for you. Back pain can be debilitating just absolutely take away all your energy. I hope someone can help you with your post. Reflexology also hurts, I want you to know that. But there are pressure points in hands and feet that connect to all the vital organs. The pain you experience can affect many of them. Including intestinal tract which I think adds to the discomfort. My worst is the heart and I massage gently. The massage therapist can brink tears to my eyes. I have been at 26% now down to 20% heart function since my bypasses almost 19 years ago. It may be only mental on my part but it does seem to sooth me some. Many blessings and I wish you the best.
7/23/2009 12:55:58 AM	Help with Back Issues
dragonlady36 New Albany, IN age: 37	Well when my back issues started 11 years ago I looked for the magic fix also. I've tried everything! Physical theraphy, shots, heat, traction (killed my leg for about 30 mins after I got off never did that again), tens unit (still use) pain pills, excerice, etc.... everything people have said I've tried. I have DDD, severly throughout my spine, spinal stinosis, and all the crap that goes along with it. nerve damage, legs and arms go numb all that fun stuff. I have had 3 surgeries, now he wants to go in and do a fourth but wants me to quit smoking (using chantix, but thats a whole nother CRAZY topic). I have to use 2 braces because I cant stand up straight for long time alone, also use canes, or walkers depending on how bad I feel that day. Anyway hon, I guess what I'm trying to say is just be carefull and unfortunatly there is not a quick fix. Make sure to get more that one doctors opinion and dont rush into anything.

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