I have had this back problem for about year now :( . I gained this lovely condition from changing my company car from a Golf GT to a chariot of agony known to many as an A3. At the time I was up and down the motorway as part of a roll out team for a new contract we had won in Trafford Park, lots of driving miles coupled with a car my body doesn’t seem to like took its toll.
I take a cocktail of tablets including antidepressants as they are muscle relaxants but they just make me drowsy. Yes this explains why I am on here till stupid o clock in the morning and my posts are well…..drug induced :twisted: . Anyway I have saw a consultant or two, had 25+ sessions of physiotherapy and acupuncture and had an MRI scan and they say I have a prolapsed disc and herniated disc between L something and somewhere else down my spine?? :? . I have some injections I am due to undertake in a day surgery soon and wondered if anyone had ever had back issues and if these injections have worked? One is a Sacroiliac joint injection & the other is a Caudal Epidural block. I also have some new drugs to try :twisted: Remedine Forte and Amiytriptyline. The nurse said that afterwards if the results were successful I could return to doing MMA playing football & even …………..running the hover around although I won’t mention that to the wife :D ! By the way i am 31........but with the back of Mr Burns.
Sorry to hear that. Problems in that area myself but different cause. I'd never actively considered an Audi just for that reason. BMWs too, especially on low-profile tyres.
The injection will be of some cortico-steroid and is likely to work, at least to some extent.
Good luck!
I had similar problems in 1999/2000. I was off work for ten months, and for most of that time couldn't walk more than a few steps. It was corticosteroid injections into the spine that got me mobile again.
I've had a few relapses (but nothing like as serious), and the injections haven't made a dramatic difference on those occasions. If I got into big trouble again, I'd be looking to have the injections as soon as I possibly could.
Thanks for that. After seeing the consultant i had a chat with a nurse about the procedures. I asked her "Do these procedures in your opinon offer a longterm solution?" she replied "They do have a very succesful rate, we have people who would kick the doors down to have them again". I thought, well they dont offer a long term solution then if they want them again :? :lol:
One of my best friends wife has serious Back problems and she has these type of injections periodically
The last set she had were twelve months ago and she is booked in this weekend for a repeat treatment. She has told me they are very unpleasant to have but they do work but aren't permanent. This is the longest she has gone between treatments but like you've already commented finds them worthwhile
Everyone is different so what works for some does not for others but I would have thought, if you consultant recommends them, they would be worth ago
I had one of these type of injections into my damaged knee and it hurt like crazy and made no difference but at least I tried it :blackeye:
Lee
I used to do a fair bit of this kind of stuff before I switched my focus to Pediatric Anesthesia. Basically, the injections work or they do not. Some people get better, never to be heard from again, some come back every 4-6 months for another injection with good results. Some don't get better at all. Give it at least 2 or 3 tries with the steriod injections before you quit. Some don't get result the first time.
I don't know what you've got going on, as I didn't see your MRI, but its good advice to avoid surgery, and try non surgical options available to you first. The biggest problem with most of this stuff is that they have only a 50% success rate at best and the Ortho/Neuro surgeon will tell you that he can cure you. Do yourself a favor and find a good pain guy, and try the non surgical options first. You can always have surgery later.
P.S. If the car is really hurting your back, you could always get a new seat installed, or take the loss and replace the car. My wife's Volvo is exceptionally comfortable on long trips.
Good luck.
by the way amitryptiline is a good, but "dirty" drug, ask about Lyrica (pregabilin).
Note that symptoms can worsen after the first epidural steroid injection (ESI), so I encourage people to stick with it and at least get a second injection before going to other options. I would skip injections if you have 'hard' neurologic deficits such as absent reflexes or marked strength loss. Delaying surgery in this case can cause a temporary problem to become permanent. As such, not everyone "can have surgery later".
That does not sound good at all, sorry to hear that .. I've driven an S3/A3 for many years, have always found immensely comfortable. Even drove from Surrey to Edinburgh in one stint without a twinge ..
/vince ..
On the question of it being a 'very unpleasant' procedure, I would disagree. It involves no more pain or discomfort than a trip to the dentist, and the benefits outweigh the inconvenience of the half-day you'll spend in hospital.
In my case, it was the second treatment that did the trick, so don't be downhearted if the first doesn't have an immediate effect.
Fair enough, but the problem has been going on for over a year, and any pain doctor SHOULD make that recommendation after exam before offering ESIs. We had great relationships w/ the spine and neurosurgeons.Originally Posted by Nalu
Regards,
As an amputee I can testify that Amitryptiline can do the trick if you want knocking out, but this an Lyrica are serious chemicals and not to be trifled with. My wife is an Oesteopath and they are well worth a second opinion before you go any further.
I live with pain nearly all the time, but use drugs very rarely, only if the Phantom Limb gets out of hand. Hot tubs are great for muscle relaxation, try hot and cold remedies and cider vineger can ease inflamation.
I have a Land Rover Discovery and the seating position has helped my back no end, I hate driving my wifes car, I am in agony within minutes.
Good luck with your problem :)
Paul
PS. Did that gorgeous Zenith go?
I can certainly second that....if its possible i would certainly recommend giving oesteopathy/chiropractic plus some 'sports' massgae therapy a try to see how that works. It seems that (and i stand to be corrected) the drugs are just going to mask the problem and not actually correct anything...possibly actually prolong it??
I have to say that I would think several times before starting on amitryptiline. Taking old-school anti-depressants for back pain, must be a serious business.
Back trouble can be awful.
Some really interesting comments and words of support, thanks guys. The Amyltriptyline comments have gave me something to consider when i next see the doctor. Ill keep you all updated.
I have had both the injections you have mentioned and they did bugger all for me unfortunately. My problems have been ongoing for 5 years and were caused by sport, I have had 4 MRi scans and have just had a fresh one using some new technology called MR-N. My main problem is to do with a pain similar to Sciatica and lower back pain in general but nobody has been able to pin point the problem which has been extremely frustrating and I have seen probably over a dozen different specialists and had physio/accupuncture etc. I am awaiting my results from this latest scan but my consultant is on holiday until the end of April (hardly surprising he bills my insurance company Ł195 for 15 minutes :shock: ) so I'm hoping something has finally been identified although I'm not overly optimistic.
I'm 36 now btw and haven't kicked a football in anger for a whole 5 years, in 6 days time!!! :evil:
Hello. Sorry that's a trouble.
I know a doctor who is noting the side-effects with Amitriptiline, and the results are relatively concerning. Indeed. the class of drugs that it belongs to are not very well understood-the tri-cyclic's, and as such I would be careful taking this when in fact it was not originally intended for what is now prescribed for-which in it's self is a consideration.
I've had three discs put back successfully and verifiably rather painlessly, not by surgery or invasive procedure, but by a physio who manually manipulated them into place. It has been a great success and no damage. It might not be for all, however, aue to the negligible side effects (it being carrie out well), and the option still available to go down the invasive route-I seriously considered it and it was a great success.
The matter is to find a good physio or osteo etc who can do this.
PM me if interested as I may have some names.
Best wishes,
AP.
Manipulation can only achieve so much if the discs are deteriorated or damaged. If they are, it's not a simple question of mechanics.
Ian
I fractured T11, T12, L1 & L2. Gives me gip still but you can control it. Try to build up your core muscles. Pilates is good, boring at first but you soon feel the benefits. I played footy again, though nowhere as well :)
Strange you should say that about Pilates as its been mentioned by a few other people. My core stability muscles are non exsistant for instance i struggle to balance on one leg. If i do sit ups after 5 my left side pulls my body up its a very weird sensation :P
Spogehead - Have you had an EXG scan (I think thats the right word) it scans the nerves and not the bones and muscle groups. Its the scan i am awaiting.
I have had so many different things done including a nerve test....which was nice :shock:
I know the Mri/n's that I have had done have had huge focus on looking at nerves specifically....... especially the MR-N that I had this month. It's a new technology to this country, so new I had to tell my consultant about it :D
Well, at least they are apparently able to kick doors down... ;-)
Seriously, back problems can be terrible. I suffered for years after hurting my lower back during a rather hard balloon landing (talk about a balloon basket impacting a road shoulder at about 20 knots due to windshear during a fast landing, bouncing across the road to drop into the ditch on the other side, finally coming to rest in a potatoe field - and me all the while with my upper body turned halfway back to keep pulling on the ripline to stop the balloon, while being thrown about in the basket...). For years I frequently lost all strength in my lower back, and had pain flaming down my left leg. It seems that overstressed tendons and muscle around the hip bone/lower spine had swollen and were pressing on nerves. After 15 minutes in my car I needed 5 minutes to straighten up when I got out of it. Let alone move or lift something.
In the end, after half a decade of suffering, the only thing that worked was a year of regular training therapy with a physiotherapist who was equipped a bit like a gym, but with a twist - apparatus meant to increase freedom of movement. The lower back is a complicated thing and connected to just about everywhere.
If you have damaged discs, you'll probably need surgery. If something is not quite in the proper place and/or some of the many muscles and tendons around there are having a hard time, careful training helps. I went there twice a week, and had a personalized home training program that only needed a floor mat and some small weights - about 20 different movements in a specific order. And I walked from home to that therapist to warm up my leg and back muscles - it always surprised me to see people driving up there from just a kilometer away in big cars, to torture themselves in the gym.
I start many mornings even before getting out of bed by doing some of the stretching exercises the therapist taught me some eight or nine years ago. And I know I should lose weight. But I can lift pretty heavy stuff these days without hurting my back (50 kg fuel tanks for the balloon), so I guess it worked.
I suffered that hard landing only months after leaving my employer and starting my own copywriting business. Fortunately, I had invested a lot in a very good office chair - I'm still sitting in it 15 years later, although the plastic covering is breaking off the armrests. It is dynamic, moves with me, tilts, has a great adaptable backrest, etc. Not a 'management chair' but a superb computer workplace chair. I never suffer from back pains in it. So that's at least one piece of advice: get a very good chair. Think 1500 dollars or more. Second: walk. It's the best way to loosen and strengthen your lower back muscles. Keep moving. Even if it hurts. Don't run, don't jog: just walk. And talk to a good physiotherapist to obtain an adapted daily exercise program.
Oldfashioned physical chores may help, once you are well enough to do them in the first place. My regular training these days is cleaning out the donkey shed and carrying wheelbarrow loads of manure from one end of our yard to the other. I have noticed it seems to have helped strengthening my back. Not that I never have any pain anymore, but it has improved to the extent that it no longer bothers me. I no longer wake up with a stiff, painful back in the morning.
I hope this helps, even a little bit.
Oh, and where the car is concerned: ditch the Germans and go French. Get a Citroën C5. Hydropneumatic suspension. You'll float. Magic carpet.
Ian,
before you entertain surgery, find yourself a Chiropractor who has a Flexion Distraction table or Cox table (It was invented by a Dr. Cox, hence the name). Greatest thing since sliced bread for herniated discs. I'm not just a Doctor PhD I'm also a Doctor of Chiropractic so I do know what I'm talking about here. The majority of low back disc problems happen to young people. Stupid things like lifting a case of beer outstretched arms and rotating with it to put it in a cart or car boot. Bingo, herniated disc. Older people tend not to have the same problem as the disc actually dessicates as we get older and we have learned not to do such things.
Basically your discs act as shock absorbers in your spine. They have a flexible outer part and a rubbery inner part (keeping it real simple here). A herniated disc is when the outer bit ruptures and allows the gooey bit in the middle to protrude. It can impinge upon and aggravate the nerves and tissue in that area and causes severe pain. Normal surgical procedure is to cut into your back and snip off the protrusion and give you lots of cortisone shots. Not a good idea unless there is absolutely nothing else which can be done. Golden rule of thumb, make surgery the last thing you do. The body is amazingly good at forming scar tissue and 2 or 3 years down the line the possibility of that scar tissue constricting the nerves in the area are pretty high. then you are screwed because the only thing that can be done is more surgery involving cutting away bits of the vertebrae. Seriously not good. Just go google things like laminectomy and laminotomy
http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayart ... le556.html
Unfortunately some people do need to have these procedures done but anyone who even contemplates it without trying Flexion / Distraction and manipulation by a Chiropractor is daft..... and you can quote me on that. I won't promise you taht nit will fix you overnight. I'd need to see MRIs to see how extensive the injury is but the whole idea of an F and D table is to cause the disc to "suck in" the rubbery part (nucleus pulposis) and allow the outer part (annulus fibrosus) to heal. Here's a better explanation of what's going on in your back
http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayart ... e4101.html
Flexion distraction works and works very well indeed in many people. Give it a try first. Worst case scenario is you need surgery, but don't rush into it without exploring all the options.
I'm in the US but if you want to talk to me. PM me and I'll give you a number.
Pete
Really good point here, when I enrolled for my Post Graduate Degree a couple of years ago I was assessed for a chair, being an above knee amputee it had to be carefully calculated. The chair took a couple of months to be built and was delivered to my home. Like a fool I keep on using the chair provided for me at work, after several Phantom Limb attacks I took into work my ergonomically designed chair, it was like pulling a huge thorn out of my arse!Well, at least they are apparently able to kick doors down... ;-)
Seriously, back problems can be terrible. I suffered for years after hurting my lower back during a rather hard balloon landing (talk about a balloon basket impacting a road shoulder at about 20 knots due to windshear during a fast landing, bouncing across the road to drop into the ditch on the other side, finally coming to rest in a potatoe field - and me all the while with my upper body turned halfway back to keep pulling on the ripline to stop the balloon, while being thrown about in the basket...). For years I frequently lost all strength in my lower back, and had pain flaming down my left leg. It seems that overstressed tendons and muscle around the hip bone/lower spine had swollen and were pressing on nerves. After 15 minutes in my car I needed 5 minutes to straighten up when I got out of it. Let alone move or lift something.
In the end, after half a decade of suffering, the only thing that worked was a year of regular training therapy with a physiotherapist who was equipped a bit like a gym, but with a twist - apparatus meant to increase freedom of movement. The lower back is a complicated thing and connected to just about everywhere.
If you have damaged discs, you'll probably need surgery. If something is not quite in the proper place and/or some of the many muscles and tendons around there are having a hard time, careful training helps. I went there twice a week, and had a personalized home training program that only needed a floor mat and some small weights - about 20 different movements in a specific order. And I walked from home to that therapist to warm up my leg and back muscles - it always surprised me to see people driving up there from just a kilometer away in big cars, to torture themselves in the gym.
I start many mornings even before getting out of bed by doing some of the stretching exercises the therapist taught me some eight or nine years ago. And I know I should lose weight. But I can lift pretty heavy stuff these days without hurting my back (50 kg fuel tanks for the balloon), so I guess it worked.
I suffered that hard landing only months after leaving my employer and starting my own copywriting business. Fortunately, I had invested a lot in a very good office chair - I'm still sitting in it 15 years later, although the plastic covering is breaking off the armrests. It is dynamic, moves with me, tilts, has a great adaptable backrest, etc. Not a 'management chair' but a superb computer workplace chair. I never suffer from back pains in it. So that's at least one piece of advice: get a very good chair. Think 1500 dollars or more. Second: walk. It's the best way to loosen and strengthen your lower back muscles. Keep moving. Even if it hurts. Don't run, don't jog: just walk. And talk to a good physiotherapist to obtain an adapted daily exercise program.
Oldfashioned physical chores may help, once you are well enough to do them in the first place. My regular training these days is cleaning out the donkey shed and carrying wheelbarrow loads of manure from one end of our yard to the other. I have noticed it seems to have helped strengthening my back. Not that I never have any pain anymore, but it has improved to the extent that it no longer bothers me. I no longer wake up with a stiff, painful back in the morning.
I hope this helps, even a little bit.
My employer would never spend Ł600 on a chair for me, so I have had to save myself.
Good seating in your car and at work is a must!
Regards
Paul
My physio taught me core strength stability too, and so far so good. (I've been moving great heavy patients around in theatres for donkeys years, ruins your back, no porters any more to help)
The neuro surgeons do spinal work, and are a bit more selective and delicate than the orthopaedic surgeons, so better, in my opinion.
Alexander Technique can help back pain and could be worth investigating. But needs a lot of discipline to learn new ways of moving your body ... and a qualified teacher.
Cheers
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Got to say i love coming back to this thread for a read of all of the advice and the experience's gained around the back issues.
I am going to see how the injections go and then fire a few PM's out if i experience any negative issues :)
I have had neck problems since my early 20's. I have had several MRI scans, including one in med school when I thought I couldn't go on with the pain. They showed herniated discs at c4-c6, and some bulging in the adjacent spots. The rest of my back is perfect, and it's my only ortho-type trouble.
I took oral steroids then, which made me gain weight, and also took pain relievers, which made it difficult to concentrate/study. So, I stopped all of them, but the physical therapy really helped. They did selective massage, instructed me on proper posture, and strength training for my neck. It got better, and the intervals between episodes got a bit longer.
When I started operating after I finished up school, I had major problems again, to the point I was on the operating schedule myself for a disc replacement with a prosthetic disc. However, at that time I was getting facet injections of steroids (right on the articulating surface of the vertebrae), and the 3rd time worked perfectly for me. I haven't had a major episode, nor have I needed surgery, despite operating myself for extended stretches of time. It's been great.
Personally I would avoid chiropractors, but that's a personal choice-please don't take it personally. I have just had some bad experiences, both with myself and friends/associates. I do however highly recommend physical therapy-in many ways, it's a sort of directed massage/strengthening that helps the supporting muscles of the spine. The data tends to indicate that those who have surgery, and those who don't have much the same results in the long term-don't have surgery unless you have radicular symptoms (numbness, incontinence, burning, etc.).
Best of luck!
Hey - hope it works out for you. Did my back a few years ago at 36 pulling my dinghy up a big hill, facet joint went. Long time since I cried openly but after a fortnight of no sleep whatsoever and the most incredible constant pain I sat on the end of my bed at 3am and just cried, Physio sorted it out eventually,you have my complete sympathy - best of luck.
I appreciate that this is an old thread revival, but I wondered whether Ian99 was still active on the forum?
The thread was of great interest, as a recent MRI provided a report of 'Degenerative discs noted at L4/L5 and L5/S1 levels.. at L4/L5 level there is moderate central disc prolapse which indents the thecal sac and encroaches on bilateral L5 nerve roots at the spinal recesses. Moderate facet joint degeneration at L4/L5 and L5/S1'
I shall be seeing an NHS consultant in a matter of a few weeks, and have had session with private physio and osteo, neither of which have really afforded much benefit sad to say. The GP suggests that injections may well be on the cards. From what I gather this might mean anything from facet joint injection, sacro-iliac joint injection, nerve root injection, epidural and or corticosteroid injection - none of which sound like a nice day out - and I have read varying reports of the pain in application.
I note also that the thread made mention of both anti-depressant medication by way of amitriptyline, and of the anti-epileptic medication Lyrica (pregabalin), both of which were also suggested as a course of treatment. Needless to say that in my case the standard paracetomal / codeine / ibuprofen OTC medication doesn't even touch the sides... :(
Epidural injections of corticosteroids are fine. I've had them four times with no problem. These days, they're usually done with X-Ray guidance, which minimises the risk of a painful injection, and the injection is preceded by a local anaesthetic.
Be v. careful re. Amiytriptyline, it's still not understood how it works and I know a number of persons in whom it's caused problems.
Br,
AP.
Thank you, slightly more reassuring then. I wasn't aware of the use of a local - I made the usual mistake of browsing the subject on the net, and the articles / threads that I found were the usual 'hurts like (insert own apt analogy)' and didn't seem to mention it! :(
[quote=A.Pottinger]Be v. careful re. Amiytriptyline, it's still not understood how it works and I know a number of persons in whom it's caused problems.
Br,
AP.[/quote:2hzk1dgd]
Also thank you, and yes very interesting - another question for me to raise when I speak with the consultant, as to side effects and alternatives.
Currently, most relief seems to be afforded by a heated wheat bag. The Diclofenac, on the other other hand, I'm not so convinced by. Has anybody tried Vicoden? Or have I been watching too much House? :lol:
Don't talk to me about back pain.
Nine months off work, Amitriptyline, industrial strength Co-codamol, physiotherapy, you name it.......
I suppose it could be worse.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
i got hurt first in 97, jeeze have i suffered, one time i had to be carted off to hospital, held overnite, the dr ? who had no english sent a report to my gp which read this guy is doing this to get attention, my gp just shook his head and shredded the report.
..I know you said don't, but... may I ask what?
Don't talk to me about back pain.
Nine months off work, Amitriptyline, industrial strength Co-codamol, physiotherapy, you name it.......
I suppose it could be worse.
I hope for your sake that you were able to redress that and have another consultation. After five months having to routinely explain my inability to walk properly and constant grimacing at even seated tasks I just gave them a copy of the radiologists report. They were still loathe to actually make any allowance or provision.... nice to feel cared for!
There really is nothing worse, mine is constantly in mild to moderate pain which I accept is part of a lifetime of sport / parachuting / running around with a bergan on. Somedays worse than others, I have tried the lot from painkillers to the rack to physio, I just give up now and enjoy the pain
RIAC
Your a long way from me howie77 so I can't really help with recomendations of practitioners. You can look at my wifes website that will have links to the Osteopath council. http://www.feelgoodfactorltd.co.uk
She gets some fantastic results without using the killer drugs. Homeopathy is also a consideration. I go once a month, haven't had a phantom limb pain attack this year so far :) fingers crossed. Try to keep away from GP's they just cloud the issues. Pain management is a very difficult subject, but some great results can be achieved without resulting in us all becoming junkies! :( good luck with which ever you choose.
Paul
It was a decompression and fusion, to relieve pressure caused by a couple of compressed discs which were pressing on nerves and in turn causing muscle spasms...I know you said don't, but... may I ask what?
Don't talk to me about back pain.
Nine months off work, Amitriptyline, industrial strength Co-codamol, physiotherapy, you name it.......
I suppose it could be worse.
The metalwork and screws are all titanium.
Regards
Ian
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Fortunately, I'm confident that no-one will take this piece of advice.
Without diagnosis and referral from my GP, the ten months I spent unable to walk would have been a great deal longer. Why ten months? Waiting for appointments and scans, but that's another story.
I guess most people who visit this thread have or have had some kind of back problem, this includes myself also when I was in my late 20s I suffered badly with the pain for a few yrs which would stop me in my tracks and cause me to struggle with breathing and no amount of prescribed pain killers of which varied of one sort to another would work to rid me of the pain, nothing was to be found after having 2 MRI scans so I took it upon myself to do something about it and luckily someone told me of an old lady who was an Osteopath who worked from her front room and charged very little so I thought nothing to loose by giving it a go and made an appointment to see her, well when I saw her she was about 80yrs of age and looked about 5 stone in weight but geeezzzz did she give me a going over I think she cracked every joint in my body and she said 2 more visits and you will be fine and she was correct I must have had 5yrs relief before my symptoms started to return before another visit and sorted the problem again, the relief and feeling of wellbeing after treatment was so good that I wanted to have top up treatments every six months but sadly she died not long after my last treatment, I have visited so called registered Osteopaths since then but what a joke they have been 10 times the cost and the treatment was pathetic having to listen to stupid whale sounds for a relaxing atmosphere and very light muscle massage with what seemed like an electric sander without the sandpaper, it pays to find someone who can do THE JOB RIGHT. :)
I was on Amyltriptyline for a while following a serious bicycle accident. I was 18 at the time and I didn't enjoy it very much at all. In my experience it was pretty nasty and very strong.
Chris
Of course I was not suggesting that you don't get a proper diagnosis, I was trying to warn against GP's habit of perscribing highly addictive chemicals that just mask pain. In the 11 years I have been an amputee I have yet to meet a GP that has a clue about the pain I live with. In fact if I had taken the morphin dosage I was perscribed I very much doubt I would be able to work or live a pretty full life.Fortunately, I'm confident that no-one will take this piece of advice.
Without diagnosis and referral from my GP, the ten months I spent unable to walk would have been a great deal longer. Why ten months? Waiting for appointments and scans, but that's another story.
Just my experience in surviving within the NHS
Understood. :thumbup:Of course I was not suggesting that you don't get a proper diagnosis, I was trying to warn against GP's habit of perscribing highly addictive chemicals that just mask pain. In the 11 years I have been an amputee I have yet to meet a GP that has a clue about the pain I live with. In fact if I had taken the morphin dosage I was perscribed I very much doubt I would be able to work or live a pretty full life.Fortunately, I'm confident that no-one will take this piece of advice.
Without diagnosis and referral from my GP, the ten months I spent unable to walk would have been a great deal longer. Why ten months? Waiting for appointments and scans, but that's another story.
Just my experience in surviving within the NHS
I damaged my back mountain biking in 2003. Snapped my coccyx and fractured my SI joint, then damaged a disc for good measure.
I'm still in constant pain, apparently because my SI wasn't diagnosed. My GP told me I'd probably fractured my coccyx and even if I had an x-ray there was nothing to be done, she prescribed a 6 week course of painkillers and told me to get on with it. My back specialist says that if I'd been diagnosed and treated correctly at the time, I'd have been fine, but I walk wonky now and that's causing issues from arthritis to weak core muscles, a ITB which is almost rigid and extra bones growing in my feet.
I've tried many things from osteo and physio to injections of painkillers and sclerotherapy.
One of the really annoying things about having snapped my coccyx is its failure to reattach, which means that if I sit upright (eating in restaurants etc) for any length of time, it's agony. I worked for HP when I hurt my back (on a company-sponsored event) and they paid a ridiculous amount of money for a custom-made seat, which is about the only thing I can sit in without pain. As for cars, I've had mixed results - 3 Volvo's, all of which were rubbish. A Rover 75 (about the best I found), a Saab 9-5 which was good and currently a new-shape Passat with the Sports seats, which is also good.
I recommend a regular break whilst driving, I normally have a toilet break every hour on the motorway, although the way my luck is going I'll probably find this gives me a very small bladder :)
Does anybody else find that their pain tolerance is higher as a result of leaving with pain? I sliced most of the top of my thumb off sharpening a knife last year, and the doctor who sewed me back together reckons that people who live with pain tend to injure themselves more in similarly daft circumstances because it takes them longer to react to the pain
Keep your pecker up, it's only pain which is apparently weakness leaving the body.
Two car accidents in 1976 and 1977 led to back problems and eventually I had to give in to spinal fusion in 1982 having had 3-4 years of real pain such as that most people have no inkling about. I had 2 large bolts cemented in my back which was a long time joke that my family would have something left to remember me by if I was cremated.
In 2003 at the age of 50 it went again and I ended up with more surgery in way of a discectomy. The bloody bolts meant that the MRI scan wasn't perfect and the Surgeon told me afterwards that he only knew what he was going to do once they opened me up. He said he had new bolts ready but decided not to replace the old ones, just to take them out. I said that it must have been a delicate operation doing that bit as so close to my spinal chord. To this day I do not know whether he was joking when he said he was kneeling on me with a pair of stilsons!
Everyday is a bonus for me. In the last episode prior to the operation I spent 9 months at home in unimaginable pain with full on muscle spasms and sciatica. There were nights I remember crying my eyes out with the intolerable pain. I was on, at various times, tramadol, morphine and stuff I have no idea what it was called. The relief of having no intolerable pain means that every day is a bonus. Yes I am in pain most days but my threshold is incredibly high and I walk and walk because I know what it's like not being able to.
Reading through this post it seems pretty depressing but it's not meant to be. In my time I have had traction in hospital with weights trying to stretch my spine. I have had physio, acupuncture, bed rest, epidurals, etc. In my case both times only one thing worked - surgery. Both times I was told that it was 50/50. Both times I replied that I couldn't walk and hurt so much that it was the only option. I'm glad I did.
I truly hope that you will be cured by manipulation, rest or whatever of that sort. I do however sympathise with anyone who truly suffers from a bad back.
scooter
Damaged my back in 1997 from a bad fall, this was just before I was 20 years old.At first I started suffering from sciatica down my right leg, which gradually became worse, I was sent for an MRI in 98 which showed a disc bulge at L4/L5.
I was offered surgery, but was told physio was probably a better option at my age and so after some physio I carried on in pain (bad mistake)..........In 2000 the pain became dramatically worse and I noticed that I had lost some feeling in my right leg, I went to my GP (useless) who just gave me Diazepam, Co-codamol 30/500 and Diclofenac............After a few weeks of increasing pain and GP visits, I was now having to use crutches (My Mum got theses for me), I went back to see a different GP who agreed I needed to see a consultant, and was given oramorph.........Unfortunately at that time, Epsom only had one orthopaedic spinal surgeon, so waiting times were lengthy.....The paralysis got slowly worse, until I had to be taken in by ambulance and done rather quickly in February 2001.
The first thing I said after waking up from surgery was "my other leg hurts", I was told not to worry about it, anyway after two years of it slowly getting worse and even some paralysis in the left leg I finally got fed up of being told it was all in my head by the local physio and by my GP.........I finally got said GP to send me to the new specialist orthopaedic unit at Epsom, and was told by the new surgeon that my leg hurt because they hadn't notice on the original MRI, that L3/L4 was also bulging...........Two weeks later I was in surgery, touch wood it's been okayish since then........I do have an occasional flair up, but these have subsided since taking up Qigong.
My sympathies to all those who suffer with bad backs.
I had back problems, but bought a futon and took up rowing. This was years ago and I have not had any significant problems since then.
So change the car, take up rowing and buy a futon.
If only that came in tablet form... :|
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