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Low Back Pain - Alternating Injections & Ablations
Whoever is reading this - I hope you're having a good day! LIke many of you, my days are affected by chronic back pain. I have degenerative osteoarthritis, foraminal stenosis, lumbar scoilosis, etc. I am at the point where I have accepted my pain mgmt doc's advice and will be utilizing alternating facet joint injections and radiofrequency ablations. I am 73 yo, 115 lbs, exercise 4-5x/wk. I no longer walk for pleasure, sigh. When treatments wear off, pain is pretty tough. I have Tramadol, but do not use unless unbearable. Sleeping is significantly affected when in pain. Are any of you at the point of alternating treatments like this? I am okay with it - my quality of life is just too greatly affected not to proceed, and the back will only get worse. Your comments, your suggestions, your thoughts? Thank you, Sue
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Hi I’m 75 and have severe stenosis is what my mri shows plus I have a bad curve right at my waist band where my pants are at I’m not going through surgery because I have COPD so now I’m going to try pain clinic again it’s been 10 yrs since I’ve been cause I just kinda gave up on them but here I go again hoping they have anything new they can do for me I am pain all day but thank God when I lay down the pain stops ... was wondering what the albations mean ? I do take 33 mg tramadol and Tylenol plus Mexicam and muscle relaxers
@jfsherley here is some information from Mayo Clinic that explains ablation.
What is Radiofrequency Ablation: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/adult-pain-medicine/tab/radiofrequency/
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1 ReactionHello,
I have scoliosis in my lower back and must rest at least every hour after being on my feet. The pain is significant and not relieved by anything but rest. One thing that seems to help is CBD oil. The medical kind is too pricey for me so I buy the strongest available at my co-op. Also, I take Clonazipan at bedtime. Good luck finding solutions for your condition. You have lots of company!
Greetings, Bill. I would definitely suggest seeing a doctor - your back pain is not going to improve by itself. I suggest starting with your primary care doc and s/he can evaluate you and make an appropriate referral. There are lots of docs who treat "back pain", and you will want to study and prepare yourself before you start talking with anyone. Learn as much about your back as possible and research your specific issues. If you don't have a medical background, just start with basics. You will want to be able to be as knowledgeable as possible as you talk with a doc. For years I was able to manage my pain with exercises, physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, etc. I avoided an orthopedic surgeon because I knew they would (most likely) talk about surgery. It's what they do, after all. my problems have progressed to the point where I need pain mgmt. My back will not improve, so it's about quality of life. After an evaluation, get a referral to a good Physical Therapist. S/he can give you exercises and make suggestions about sleeping positions. Let me know what you decide and how you are doing. Good luck! Sue
Hi, I too have most of what you do. First, when the pain starts I sit down and rest for a bit. If I can’t do that, I find a stable surface higher than my hands can reach, then stretch enough to reach it and “hang” for just a minute. That really gets to the scoliosis. Consider installing a doorway chin-up bar to do this several times a day. I can’t take opioids so I use lidocaine patches and a tens unit when all else fails. Good luck, and let me know if any of this helps!
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1 ReactionI will be meeting with pain management doctor on Monday 8/24 fir spondylolisthesis. If he. Ant help me I will go forward with su, which is major surgery