Low back pain

[DMiller]

Mine
Probably should have been done that way
Weeks in traction bed corset for several years
L4 self fused to S1 no fixing it and is offline
Doc said arthritis has developed too far to do anything intensive in that area
Neck got two Mobi-C implants at C5/6 and C6/7 as degenerative disc had pretty well
Destroyed those
Still have a bad disc C4/5 but insurance will only cover two.
Also have a torn Sacrum Iliac (SI)joint
Steady throb I tend to ignore until reaches the screaming stage and have to stop awhile. Insurance will not pay to fix that,
Labeled it “Experimental”.
Deal with dull throb to ache most all the time from many locations, just another unpleasant aspect to deal with daily.

 

[cuttin edge]

Or you all of you folks can end up like me, and eventually have this done.

View attachment 228472

My brother has a rod in his back from his neck to his hips.

 

[cuttin edge]

You might be developing a condition called O.L.D. I have a friend that broke his back in an accident, and he said you know it's going to be a bad day when you can't put your socks on. Any time I hurt myself, my Dr always starts with You know you're not 20 anymore. I find a lot of people with arthritus in their backs these days

 

[DMiller]

He and my older brother likely have the same Airport issue, metal detectors go off regardless what they peel off. He has a few pounds of structural steel as TS does in roughly same spot, but has jacks and plates holding the open spot open where they removed discs and a destroyed vertebrae.

 

[DMiller]

Been satisfactorily destroying parts and pieces since I was three, would like a COMPLETE Do-over but that is more costly overall.

 

[cuttin edge]

Hard to get OEM parts. Aftermarket never fits right. My brother carries a card in his wallet

 

[DMiller]

So too my brother!! I am ALMOST there with iron deposits.

 

[DMiller]

One thing I have slowed progression, Drinking LOADS of water, hands and other joints Not quite so angry. Can still enjoy a beer or three once in awhile.

Thanks Nige

 

[John Canfield]

My ortho Doc back in Central Florida was an outcast among his peers since his first therapy choice for back problems was exercise instead of profitable surgery. He was the primary consultant for Nautilus exercise equipment that started 35 years ago. He prescribed massage along with exercises on specific machines, it really helped.

 

[Welder Dave]

I went to my Dr. who also thinks it's muscle related or possibly radiculopathy (pinched nerve). I have an appt. tomorrow with a physical therapist to do an assessment. I also got a request for an X-ray if it's required after the assessment.

 

[Nige]

Dave, I would suggest that you should get a lumbar spinal X-Ray either way.
I was diagnosed with a condition known as lumbar spondylosis (lower spinal wear & tear basically) in my 30's that the cause was clear on an LS X-Ray. My lowest vertebrae was misalgined with my pelvis by about 4mm IIRC. Thinking back I had a fall as a kid about 10ft or thereabouts landing bang on my coccyx on a pile of broken bricks. The docs reckon that's probably what kicked it off.

My latest medical exam in August noted - DESVIACIÓN DEL EJE DE LA COLUMNA HACIA LA IZQUIERDA (deviation of the spinal column axis to the left), the same thing found 30+ years ago. I can pop my back doing the weirdest things. Most recent 3 yrs or so ago was as simple as turning away from the bathroom sink after brushing my teeth. even that long ago I can remember the pain like it was yesterday. It went off with a crack like a rifle shot or so it seemed, and felt like someone had sunk a fcukoff big knife in up to the hilt just above my pelvis. it usually takes me at least a week to get back to anything like nomal after an event like that. I don't like taking painkillers for it either because as I keep telling my doctor when he tries to push them "the levels of pain I have are what tells me when to stop".

 

[John Canfield]

Twisting while lifting a heavy object has caused me grief over the years. Three or four years ago it was so bad I couldn't dress myself or even roll over in bed - that time I was really scared.

 

[farmerlund]

I can only share a story that happened to one of my best friends. For years (15+) he had trouble with his neck/ upper back. legs would fall sleep, arm would be sore. Of course it started mild and got worse over time.
He went to the chiropractor alot. (they never took xrays) This will be important later. the last year he was going 2-3 times a week. Finally the shooting pains in his arm and legs got unbearable. Plus he was having motor control problems and weakness in his right hand.
He went to the ER on thanksgiving day 3 years ago. Just by luck there was one of the top spinal DR from Idaho hanging around the hospital. After some tests and an MRI, the Doc would not let him go home. Was afraid if he wacked his head he would injure the spinal cord. They did surgery on his neck the next morning. I wish I had a picture of the MRI. His disk was gone and vertebrae was so jacked up it looked like an elephant standing on a fire hose. The doc couldn't believe he walked in under his own power.
3 years later he is a totally different guy. A simple x ray somewhere along the way would have shown how bad his vertebrae alignment was.

 

[56wrench]

when i was young, the old guys would tell me " that's too heavy- use a hoist or picker or we'll get some help" and i would say "nah, i can do this" and they would say "you'll bugger up your back". well, as usual they were right, but i wouldn't take their word for it and now i'm paying the price. another classic case of where 'youth is wasted on the young'

 

[Welder Dave]

Twisting while lifting a heavy object has caused me grief over the years. Three or four years ago it was so bad I couldn't dress myself or even roll over in bed - that time I was really scared.

Rolling over in bed was debilitating if I moved the wrong way and getting out of bed was close to it pain wise. Putting socks on, forget it. At least I can now get up from sitting without the severe pain and thankfully it's getting better. I went to a Physio Therapist to have an assessment and I basically sprained my back. Physio therapist said it's unlikely it would show up on an X-ray. He had me lay on a heating pad for 10 minutes or so and then do some basic back exercises. I can feel it but didn't get the severe pain I had been experienced. It's weird that I can do 95% of movements fine but one wrong move gives excruciating pain. I thought great now the severe pain won't show up... He had me lay on my stomach during the assessment and when I got about half way up on my knee's it got really bad. I laid back down and rolled on my side so I could swing my legs over the side of table and get up that way. I'm going back on Friday and I think he's going to use some other techniques to help speed the recovery. Nice to know what's wrong. Thanks for all the input. I think I made the right choice for treatment.

Years ago when I broke my ankle I also had severe back pain that the Dr. basically dismissed. She should have had her medical license taken away. I asked if I could get a Tylenol or something for my back and she said sure. 15 minutes later I'm getting up to sit in a wheel chair to get it myself and the Dr. comes back and asks where I'm going. Stay right here where I told you! I never did get anything for my back. She spent more time asking me if I learned my lesson and lecturing me about what a terrible thing motorcycles/dirt bikes are. She was the same way with a kid that was about 12 that got a fairly minor injury. Aren't Dr's. supposed to treat you and not judge how you were injured? Years later I got an X-ray for something else and that Dr. noticed I had signs of a slight fracture in my back from a previous injury. Not completely through the bone but evidence of a crack.

 

[JD955SC]

when i was young, the old guys would tell me " that's too heavy- use a hoist or picker or we'll get some help" and i would say "nah, i can do this" and they would say "you'll bugger up your back". well, as usual they were right, but i wouldn't take their word for it and now i'm paying the price. another classic case of where 'youth is wasted on the young'

I told our two new apprentices to wrap a strap and let the crane work if it weighed over 20 pounds. I told them you can virtually alway rig a crane or a come along to do the heavy lifting instead of using your back. Also told them stop buying cheap boots...good boots save your feet which save your back down the road

 

[suladas]

when i was young, the old guys would tell me " that's too heavy- use a hoist or picker or we'll get some help" and i would say "nah, i can do this" and they would say "you'll bugger up your back". well, as usual they were right, but i wouldn't take their word for it and now i'm paying the price. another classic case of where 'youth is wasted on the young'

Agree 100%. When I was about 20 I use to lift my snowmobile into the back of the truck myself and wouldn't flinch at lifting 200-250 into back of truck or trailer on a regular basis. Now i'm a bit wiser and lazier and try to avoid the really heavy lifts, although I still find myself lifting 100-150lbs the rare time, but i'm also really careful when I do it. Part of it is because I can't even dream of lifting what I use to but also because when I do get back pain it sure lasts a lot longer. I threw my back out really bad as a teenager could barely walk, next morning never know anything happened. Now if I do something wrong it's usually a few days at least before it goes away and know as I get older it will only get worse.

 

[Steve Frazier]

X-ray will only reveal a bone problem if it exists, I guess they need to rule that out first because it's always the first step but it doesn't turn up anything unless there is a bone problem. An MRI will show the problem if it involves nerve damage, I had to insist my doctor prescribe it when I had a problem in my neck. That revealed another blown disc that was undetected by the x-ray. If it's a muscle problem P/T will fix it.

When I hurt my lower back I saw a chiropractor for 6 months. I felt good walking out of his office but two hours later I was in pain again. I've learned a lot about my injury since then. In my case surgery was the only answer and it was a tremendous success. The chiropractor gave me temporary relief but did not address the cause. If you aren't experiencing lasting relief it could be time to try alternative treatment, and P/T could be the answer instead of surgery.

 

[lantraxco]

I'm biased, because my brother is a chiropractor (now retired) and he has kept me going when all else failed. Like doctors, dentists, lawyers, the key as always is finding a good one you get along with. In my 40 plus years of abusing my body for pay I have observed that I almost never hurt myself on the job, but I push myself beyond reasonable limits and the pain will find me later. Nige's story of an injury while brushing his teeth matches what a DO told me was most common in working men, push yourself beyond your limits on the job, then get out of bed all stiff and cold, bend over the bathroom sink to brush your teeth and "Pop!" My last episode that literally put me on the floor for three days happened as I had my foot up on the bed to put my socks on in the morning... slight twist to the left and stretch down... CRAP!. Did the same exact thing a month later in the hotel room in Portland the morning we were flying out to ConExpo! Alcohol and a chiropractic chain called "The Joint" got me through the show. YMMV

 

[Nige]

Nige's story of an injury while brushing his teeth matches what a DO told me was most common in working men, push yourself beyond your limits on the job, then get out of bed all stiff and cold, bend over the bathroom sink to brush your teeth and "Pop!"

You never I never thought about it that way. Makes perfect sense. Problem is that usually when you first get out of bed at stupid o'clock you're never awake enough to think that you need to be easing into things. You're more concerned with doing the necessary stuff to get you out of the door and face whatever the day is gonna throw at you.