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Lower Back Pain, Foot Numbness, and Car Ergonomic Issues: Help!
Spine Health | Last Active: Sep 4 12:48am | Replies (9)Comment receiving replies
I have been through major lower back issues and pain that goes beyond description. So I can relate to you. As far as stretching goes. I am truly surprised that your physical therapist did not show you all the proper stretching exercises to do. The important part is that you need to do them first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. Having laid in a bed in a prone position for at least 8 hours has allowed things to stiffen and move. So the very few stretch you want to do is to lay flat on your back and pull you knees up to your chest as far as you can. Hold for a count of 10 for the first time. Work you way up to a count of 30. After that you will lay on one side and roll your shoulders down. You will do that for a count if 20 each side. Then finally you will lay flat on your back and swing one leg over your body until it is hanging off the bed fully. You will hold that position for a count of 30 and repeat on both sides. Once out of bed, you will stand up straight feet shoulder width apart and you will bend at the waist reaching to place your hands on the floor. Do not bounce. You can have someone help to push your shoulders down gently to increase the stretch. But do not force. You want to feel the stretch and you will feel some pain. But practice these moves. And as long as you are not to far progressed in degeneration you should experience some relief. Also consider joining a gym to get some strength training in. Most often people experience lower back problems due to weakness in the area affected. However, if caught and corrected in time it can be relieved. You don't want to end up under the knife if you can help it. I had three back surgeries done on my lumbar spine. The last being a TLIF. Complete fusion and caging. And looking now to have my neck done due to degeneration and spinal stenosis. So put effort into correcting you back issues now.
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I had a laminectomy L2-S1 two years ago. I have numbness and tingling in my feet and lower legs ... which leads to balance issues. My spine surgeon has suggested that a fusion of L4-S1 might rid me of the numbness and tingling, which is caused by compression of nerves in lower back. He described a surgery that would be a ALIF one day to replace discs for fusion.... then the following day he said he would go in from the back to insert rods/screws. Did you have this type of procedure, or did your surgeon do everything through the TLIF?? Not sure why the rods could not be placed on the first day when the discs are fused. Thanks! Best wishes! Mike
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Thank you for the kinds words of encouragement. I truly do appreciate them. And please believe me when I say that I am not trying to get ahead of anyone in any of these matters. I just know that time can be of real importance in these types of matters. So as I said, I am not trying to get out in front of my doctors. Just mostly trying to understand.
You see, these are not the only issues that I am dealing with. They are just the most recent ones. My fully medical issues that I have going on right now and numerous. Lets start with heart disease already. I have abnormal nonspecific ST Waves and T Waves. It started out with just the T waves being abnormal less than a year ago and has progressed to the ST Waves now. I also have a 30 to 40 % blockage on the left side, but doe not require intervention as of yet. I have Chronic Kidney disease. Non alcoholic fatty liver syndrome, GERD, Schatzshy's ring. Type 2 diabetes, (Hypoglycemia) however that is controlled for now with diet and exercise. Spine stenosis of both the lumbar area and the neck area. My lumbar spine from L2 to L5 has already been fused as a TLIF was performed and I now have 10" rods and screws and other hardware in place and am on course to have my neck fused as well as I have bulging disks, two vertebre have slipped backwards over connecting vertebre and have pinched my spinal cord into a kidney shape. I have carpral tunnel in both hands. and three fingers and my thumb on my right hand are painfully numb. Often times feeling like the skin is being peeled off. The left index and middle are in the beginning stages of going numb. most of my lower extremities I can barely feel or not feel at all due to the severe level spinal stenosis. I have dropped a drop of scalding hot grease onto the top of my left foot right where the toes meet the foot at the base of the arch. And that was on my bare foot. Did not notice it until I felt a wet spot on my sock a couple days later and investigated. I dropped a 30 lb pipe wrench on my right foot and the only reason I know it hit my foot is because I watched it and I was wearing converse sneakers at the time. Did not feel a bit of it. I have lag in my left leg where it causes tripping issues. And yet I still work as a delivery driver and use my legs every day, even though most days are an extreme struggle. And all of this came about within the last 2 years. And everyday, no matter how positive I try to stay, I am watching my health fade and my abilities lessen. And most of that is because of the heart issues that I deal with. Some days i have no issues, but other days, which are becoming more frequent, I have to sit down to take breaks because of having heart issues. Or because I become winded. And no matter how active I am, no matter how much exercise I do, I don't grow any stronger. In fact it seems just the opposite. I find myself muscles becoming fatigued almost immediately from something a few days prior I did easily without any issues. I could go on and on with all that I go through everyday. But I think you all get the point. Everything I have mentioned, I have been diagnosed with by doctors. To add to all of that is, PTSD, depression, suicidal ideations, anxiety with panic attacks. I just don't want to end up having everyone drag things out because they are not taking things as seriously as they should and then I end up paying the ultimate price. I honestly believe that everything that is going on with me save the mental health issues are all related.
I hope this explains why I am experiencing the anxiety and the fear that I am am. As well as why I am seeking answers. Not to self diagnose, but to understand what could, not will, but could lay ahead for me if things turn out badly. Believe it or not, gaining knowledge helps to ease my mind, because if things turn out for the good. then I have gained knowledge of a situation. If they go the other way, then I have the knowledge of what I could be looking at and can better prepare myself for the challenges that lay ahead. It helps to take the fear down a lot for me. And seeking answers is simply my way of dealing with the terror I feel inside. Especially since I am all alone in this world. I have no family and no friends to speak of anymore. Friends faded away as friends often do, and family has passed on. At only being 57 years olf this is a lot to deal with at the same time. so I hope you all understand me a little better.