lower back pain--i feel like im out of options...

Question

i am 26 and was in a car accident almost 3 years ago. i have had 2 MRIs and i have a slightly bulged disc, but evidently not severe enough for surgery. I have tried the following, nothing has helped alleviate the pain so far:

2 epidurals, physical therapy, MANY pain medications and presciption anti-inflamitory pills, chiropractic care (including e-stem), accupuncture, a new bed, a back brace (from a neurosurgeon), heat and ice, and proper sitting/standing techniques.

i have seen SO many doctors and specialists over the past 3 years and nobody seems to have any more suggestions for me, other than starting over and trying everything all over again. this is very frusterating, mainly because i am only 26 and i go weeks at a time barely being able to even walk.

a few of my doctors say not to do yoga, one said to try it. one doctor even said to continue normal activities like basketball, volleyball, and running (which seems ridiculous to me since i can't even go to the bathroom without help)

the pain is sharp and it sits mostly in my butt, but occasionally shoots down the back of my leg and into my toe. i can hardly sit or walk and wake up during the night because of the pain. the first round it lasted about a year and a half, went away for about 9 months then came back about a week ago and has been worse than ever. i am absolutely miserable and am tired of living like this, if you can even call it living.

if anyone has any suggestions, i would be very grateful...even advice on getting a doctor to actually listen to me instead of just saying they can't help; or what other type of specialist i need to see.

thank you so much!!!

Answer 1

I was in an identical situation as you, only my degenerative disc disease came on its own with out an injury. I saw at least 10 doctors, did the chiropractor thing, pain meds, nsaids, injections etc. Nothing worked, or at least not for very long. I finally found a neurosurgeon who told me I need a spinal fusion. I had it in '07 at the age of 27 and it was one of the best decisions of my life. Many doctors do not want to take the time to do the work . As frustrating as it is you need to keep searching. It sounds like you might benefit from either a fusion or a discectomy, a much minor surgery. I tirelessly researched conditions and treatments for years. I recommend you start doing your own reading up. A decent place to start is spineuniverse.com. I know what it's like. I couldn't walk, sit or lie at times. Agony was a part of daily life. I also have other conditions that I had to search for years to find a good doctor willing to try anything. You have to keep going...go armed with information....demand testing...demand that they give you a treatment option.

Answer 2

Wow! It sounds like I could have written that myself! I went through all that you have been through & know how awful it can be. I hurt my back 5 years ago & my life has not been the same since. The only thing that did help me is a treatment called the DRX9000. It was a godsend to me! It is considered an alternative treatment. It is also a painfree treatment. I took the treatment for about 3 months & noticed that my pain was greatly reduced...hey, now my pain pills actually work. I am also taking a lot less pain pills. I now go in for a littel tune up now & then & I am still in pain but, it is no where near what it was before. I the links below I sent you info on the machine & the second link is a link to help you find a Dr near you that can help you with your back. Good Luck

Answer 3

I assume you are under the care of a good neurologist. If not, get one. If yes, consult with another neurologist for a second opinion. How recent was your last MRI? If not since your symptoms have worsened, it seems like you should have another one to see if your mild bulge is now more than that. Your symptoms are not consistent with a disk that is just slightly bulging. When the clinical symptoms don't coincide with the MRI results, something is up and the clinical symptoms might prevail in determining what should be done. If in fact there is a recent MRI and it shows only a slight bulge, you might experiment with new medication. Ask your dr. about Neurontin. It is primarily for epilepsy but can be very effective for pain. Also, ask your pain dr (the dr who gave you the epidurals) or your neurologist about a Rx for Amitriptyline or related antidepressant. In small doses there drugs are very useful in treating pain. You should also consult with a neurosurgeon as well as a neurologist to get a different point of view. If you have an HMO and a GP is directing your care rather than a neurologist, do what it takes to get a neurologist. Also you should consider what it was that you were doing that allowed the pain to go away for nine months. Be very pro-active in your care and don't settle for what the dr says if your life is miserable.

Answer 4

Sorry to hear about your pain...but I have been living with similar conditions for better than 20 years after getting blasted by a grenade while in the military at the age of 22. I am now 48.

I start every day with a 30 minute soak in a bath of HOT water with Epsom salts then shower off in normal temp. Then I do a slow series of stretching exercises with emphisis on SLOW. Then I work my way into a Karate warm up routine then back into a stretching mode before hitting the shower again.

Although this does not get rid of the pain it does take the edge off and allow me to function. I also use a heat wrap and ice pack throughout the day along with stretching to keep my back limber and mobile.

Chronic pain is tollerable with only minimum pain meds but definetly not enjoyable.

I am just thankful to be alive and fully mobile and not paralyzed.

Answer 5

If all the major pathoanatomical and mechanical disorders have been allegedly ruled out (not that your disc bulge is not a source of symptoms, just that your disability seems out of proportion to the injury). I'd consider at least the two following possibilities:



1. A mechanical disorder still exists, but has not been able to be FULLY identified in static imaging studies. A functional MRI such as Fonar can examine if there are any mechanical problems that are not identified at rest, but appear upon positioning or movement.



2. The major anatomical problem is rather "healed", but that the pain cycle has been perpetuated by the nervous system. Without getting into too much neurobiology, pain actually originates in the brain and modifies what we feel based on it's perceived "threat." Teaching the brain how to decrease the perception of "threat" can down regulate the signals is sends to the spinal cord. I'd suggest a read by an author by the name of G.L. Mosely called "yarns of pain" that explains how we can teach the body to feel less pain. He is a physical therapist who is a pain researcher in the UK. After reading the book, find a PT who is familiar with his work.

Answer 6

Assuming you're a guy - your symptoms also sound like an inflamed prostate - which none of those things will help (just thinking outside the box).



You might want to see an internal medicine doctor - let him step back and look at all of you rather than focusing on a single event.



You may end up just having to do pain management.

Answer 7

Did you ever tested out Back Pain Relief 4 Life procedure? Visit in this website : http://www.BackPainInstantRelief.com/ . It may probably support anybody!

Answer 8

Andrew K. Fletcher

Paignton, Devon U.K.

Google my full name or Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT) This will help your lower back pain and should help to resolve it in around 4 weeks. You may also want to research archnoiditis before you have any more epidurals. Neuropathic pain is one thing that IBT works quickly with when medications have failed to show any improvements.



My research is ongoing and as yet remains unfunded, but conitnue it must.



In the following links there are some mentions of recovery from pain using this simple method.



We are seeking some help to find more volunteers for a very exciting study and feel that this is something that your readers and colleagues will definitely find fascinating and some who have varicose veins and oedema and wish to avoid surgery will definitely want to join this Free study which produces results in only 4 weeks!

News Release:

An Important Scientific Study into the cause of Varicose Veins and Oedema and Inclined Bed Therapy (I.B.T.) is now underway, which makes use of the way the body uses gravity to move solutes through the vessels to improve circulation and alter the pressure inside the veins to significantly reduce swelling and oedema. Our study is free for anyone to participate in. There are no products to be sold or marketed.

Get the latest slant on sleeping.

What is Inclined Bed Therapy?

Gravity was identified as the driving force behind circulation in trees in 1994 and was applied immediately to how circulation in the body benefits from the same interaction with salts and sugars in the circulation. A video showing the use of IBT with spinal cord injury can be viewed here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3D7tBQfCxQ

IBT is simply tilting the bed so that the head end is 15 cm’s or 6 inches higher than the foot end providing a level but tilted bed, hence the name Inclined Bed Therapy.0 People with varicose veins, oedema (fluid retention) are needed to participate in an online Diary Study, in order to prove that simply altering our sleeping position can have a positive affect on these problems.

If you or someone you know has Varicose Veins, the standard advise is to raise your legs and tilt your bed the other way to IBT, Or to undergo risky and expensive surgery that is prone to fail because it does not address why the pressure inside the vein causes it to bulge.

Which according to current physiology books makes sense. But what if that logic is incorrect? All the evidence from our study is showing that gravity is not a force we are struggling to overcome but a force that drives the fluids within the body.



Are you prepared to take the 4 week challenge and provide us with your observations? Or do you know someone who has varicose veins and would like to watch them slowly but surely shrink and improve every night they go to bed instead of becoming more unsightly and uncomfortable?



Our study is located on the Naked Scientists forum, who have a regular slot on BBC Radio. http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=9843.msg121037#msg121037



My wife’s calf showing clearly her varicose vein shadow, which went flat after 4 weeks of Inclined Bed Therapy back in 1994 and has not returned to its former state since. http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=9843.msg121037#msg121037



Alun has already confirmed my statement on the study thread that Varicose veins will shrink after 4 weeks of IBT and has supplied us with photographic before and after 4 weeks of IBT along with a diary account of his observations. And he is not alone. http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=9843.75



We are hoping to find at least 50 more pioneering volunteers who wish to avoid surgery and it’s inherent risks and failures, who are willing to provide us with photographic and a written account of their own experiences sleeping inclined.



So far our study is running towards a predicted outcome that flies in the face of current physiology literature.



Look forward to hearing from you.



Yours sincerely Andrew K Fletcher

Answer 9

lay down on ur bak on your bed &

if you have a stool

put it upsidedown & put

a pillow on the poles going around the stool.

& put your legs on top of the pillow :)



my dad does this all the time & it seems to be working :D



~kitty

Answer 10

Try Pilates it is softer than yoga its gentle stretching, it may help!!