Back Problems

[RF1963]

Gentlemen

I know the immediate answer is to discuss this with GP/Specialist and I do have an appointment in October with my back specialist.

However that's a month away. I wonder if any of you have similar experience to this or have direct specialist knowledge.

A year ago, damn near to the day, I injured my back gardening. Eventually an MRI showed a prolapsed disc (L5/S1), facet joint misalignment and degenerative arthritis. I had a spinal fusion (L5/S1) in January. I have been in pain ever since. I haven't worked since and I took medical retirement (at 46 yrs.) in June.

A bone scan has shown that on the left of L5/S1 are arthritic changes in the vertebral bodies and on the right of L5/S1 there is facet joint inflammation.

So I'm not exactly sure what I'm facing beyond the obvious meaning of the words. I'm not sure if this is treatable or what the treatment might be.

I'd appreciate any advice from any of you who have experienced this.

Cheers

Roy

 

[BladeDE40]

I can't give you any specific answers, but I know what you are going through. I had a bi-level dynamic fusion (L3-L4, L4-L5) a year ago at the age of 30 and have had back pain ever since...prior to the surgery I only had minor back pain as most of the pain was down my legs...now I have little leg pain and lots of back pain. I'm set to have an mri next week. The best advice I can give is to stay as positive as you can until you can see the doc...I'm surprised that you have to wait so long for an appt. though.

Good luck!

 

[mmiller3475]

Gentlemen

I know the immediate answer is to discuss this with GP/Specialist and I do have an appointment in October with my back specialist.

However that's a month away. I wonder if any of you have similar experience to this or have direct specialist knowledge.

A year ago, damn near to the day, I injured my back gardening. Eventually an MRI showed a prolapsed disc (L5/S1), facet joint misalignment and degenerative arthritis. I had a spinal fusion (L5/S1) in January. I have been in pain ever since. I haven't worked since and I took medical retirement (at 46 yrs.) in June.

A bone scan has shown that on the left of L5/S1 are arthritic changes in the vertebral bodies and on the right of L5/S1 there is facet joint inflammation.

So I'm not exactly sure what I'm facing beyond the obvious meaning of the words. I'm not sure if this is treatable or what the treatment might be.

I'd appreciate any advice from any of you who have experienced this.

Cheers

Roy

I sympathize with your plight. I've had 8 lower back surgeries and I managed to fracture my L1 vertebrae at the beginning of summer. I would certainly see an orthopedic surgeon and/or a neurosurgeon that have experience in this area for their opinion, and see what they have to say. Each person is unique and their treatment will also be unique.

From what I've been told, I don't think there's much you can do about arthritis. Along with that I've been diagnosed with stenosis of the central canal. As we age, these conditions develop in almost everyone and there doesn't seem to be much we can do about it.

Outside of surgery, physical therapy is a possibility. A steroid shot might reduce some of the inflammation. Pain management including medication is another possibility, and you might even consider alternative medical approaches such as accupuncture. If you're overweight, shedding some pounds couldn't hurt either. Get another opinion about your fusion. Two of my operations were to correct a previous fusion that didn't fuse properly.

The previous responder had a very valid point about keeping a positive outlook on the whole thing. I think you'll find that there's a lot to be tried yet so take heart!

 

[hotwheels]

Hi RF1963,

Spinal procedures have about a 1/3 chance of resulting in improvement, a 1/3 chance of no improvement, and a 1/3 chance of worsening the condition. Those are not good odds. However, not all issues are created equal, and some conditions are much more treatable than others.

Arthritic changes may include the growth of bone spurs, I believe. Friction will result in inflammation.

Don't give up and good luck to you!

Cheers,
-Snick

 

[xillion]

I have had four back surgeries since injuring my back at work in 1998 when I was 22. I have had three fusions, one of which broke, and I have had hardware put in and removed. Before my last surgery I was having severe shooting leg pains, I was unable to feel both of my feet, and it was becoming difficult to walk. But before my doctor would even consider doing the procedure he made me get off all pain meds. For years I was on 100mg Fentanyl patches and 8-10 vicodin a day, and a variety of other nerve pain and muscle relaxers. All of which had all been prescribed to me by a pain specialist. For me the drugs were actually causing more pain than they relived, and getting off them was the best thing I have done for myself and my overall health.

Thankfully my doctor was able to fix the problem by drilling out my vertebrae, thereby relieving the pressure on my cord roots. When I woke up from the anesthesia I could immediately feel my feet again and the shooting leg pain was completely gone. It has now been over a year since my last surgery and I feel great. I still have a bit of arthritic pain but the nerve, shooting electric fire, pain is finally gone. And I no longer take any prescription meds, just the occasional Aleve if I need it. I am very grateful that I found the right doctor for me who understood my specific problem and was willing to above and beyond to help me fix it.

Never give up, things can and will get better.

 

[dklaiman]

I can't comment on your specific diagnoses, but some general thoughts are to drop any excess weight, to drink plenty of water to keep the discs hydrated, and if you smoke, to immediately stop--studies have shown that smoking is very detrimental to disk health and recovery. Also--and talk to your GP about this before you start--work on strengthening your core with swimming or other gentle exercise.

I don't know if workers' compensation claims are as prevalent in NZ as they are in the USA. If they are, find an attorney who defends the claims (represents employers and insurers) and ask for a few names of defense experts. I do this type of work in Minnesota. The doctors I use as experts are all back surgeons, but they are more conservative in their treatment approach. Such an expert near you may have suggestions for treatment other than additional surgery.

Good luck.

 

[life2short1971]

I have a tens unit that sends electrical shocks through adhesive patches with wires that go to a control box about the size of a pack of cigarettes and it helps when I use it on the worst days. I actually get more more relief from a couple advil than I do from the strongest opiate pain killers. You might see if one would be help to you. The tens unit that is.lol

 

[malocchio]

I have almost the exact same problem,I had to retire at 52 but I was lucky enough to have in a full retirement time .I took the physical therapy,that was good..I took anti inflammatories only on the days I could not even walk...stay away from the pills ! I took a tens electro unit home...it helps,but only after max time at max voltage,that caused me to stumble,my brain was not in synch with my muscles....best thing I did was buy a new fully organic bed..mine is a pure talalay latex bed,and the cover is organic wool/cotton,so it is naturally fire retardant safe,and even in calif it does not require the obligitory by law kilo of super toxic fire retardant saturation...it has really helped my back...the tempurpedic is not the same..it is loaded with chemicals and is a of different nature,it is saturated with chemicals..the other choice is an organic pure latex mattress using the dunlop (as in tires) method...after a lot of research I went with the talalay pure latex...it has really helped me so much