Back pain is there any relief?
I have tried everything, Cortisone shots, Physical therapy(which made it worst). i have spinal arthritis(discs already fused)
and spinal stenosis. Has anybody with out having surgery found relief and aside from pain meds? I struggle daily with this problem or are doctors not understanding this issue? Would love to get some feed back from this forum………
Yes, David you can live with these conditions and learn how to help yourself. I’ve had this myself, since age 12, learned how to manage it and help others live relatively pain free lives. You’ll need to get educated as to how the spine works and how the muscles affect it.
You probably would benefit at the hands of a good chiropractor since they specialize in these type of conditions and can reduce the structural stress on the spine which often is the cause of osteoarthritis (also known as degenerative joint disease). The 24 vertebrae forming your back bone stack like building blocks and are designed to be erect on a plumb line. When this changes from falls, accidents or postural imbalance the vertebrae experience uneven wear and tear causing arthritic spurs that eventually fuse them together as a sort of protection from further nerve damage.
Get some of the free material below and see how you can help yourself at home whether pursuing professional help or not. You hold the key to your own well being. get proactive. I wish you well!
Dr Tim
I am sorry that you are having such a problem with this all too common problem. What Dr. Tim said has some merit regarding the processes that can lead up to your type of pain. I admire you for trying to remain non-surgical, too. Surgery and chronic back pain typically don’t mix very well. You didn’t mention if you have leg pain and that does tell us more about your condition. Moreover, injections typically don’t work well either as they are more suited for acute and subacute inflammatory conditions in the spine. Chronic inflammation doesn’t respond well to spinal injection therapy for the most part, and arthritis and spinal stenosis are typically chronic problems (unless you set it off via injury) (1).
Now when meds and/or injections do decrease your pain, keep in mind, the problem that lead up to your pain is still there! Epidural spinal injections seem to have a better effect on spinal conditions with leg pain, but it’s still not a clear cut superior treatment (2). A good Physical Therapist will treat you based on your stage of injury/healing, and it sounds like to me, that didn’t happen. If you got worse, then you got the wrong kind of therapy. Just like when a physician might give you the greatest drug…well, if that drug is the wrong chemical for what you have, it won’t work, and it could make you worse. You need the RIGHT therapy.
You can certainly email or hit me on my website http://www.gtpt.net, and I’ll find a suitable practitioner for you in your area. Give me your zip code. The right kind of therapy should yield relief results and improved mobility (within your available fused range) within the first few visits – you should not worsen. You do need to learn certain things for YOUR Condition, and this will take a good exam by a PT with experience in spinal conditions. The more good things you can do for your back over time will add up to less pain and better mobility. The more bad things you do, the more pain you’ll have. You need to be examined to find out the good, the bad, and the ugly – then learn how to self manage.
Without an exam, there is no way I would give you active/exercise/positional things to do. But I can tell you that there are good techniques that can help you short and long term. I do this day in and day out with great results (3), so despite the docs, therapists, and literature that say you’re screwed – I believe and practice otherwise.
Best of Luck and I hope to hear back from you soon.
W. Baskin, PT