Unique Pain Areas and Describing Unique Pain “Feelings”

My Physiatrist just suggested I may have Bertolotti’s Syndrome as my transverse process is abnormally large. I am scheduled for diagnostic injections this week so it is not confirmed. But, I have had a lot of funky L5/S1 pain symptoms and it may be related. I have started reading about this diagnosis and I actually do fit the profile. It has never been mentioned to me before and he noted it after a CT Bone SPECT Scan. I think our pain descriptions change because the pain episodes change. Disc and Facet act differently and I know have both. My PT helps me identify. I share the frustration about what it all means. Burn, ache, shooting, dull, sharp, deep… oh never mind the exact location. There are also articles on this blog about how your brain processes pain and my doctor says the same kind of things. It used to drive me nuts. I think my biggest sign of worsening has been the constancy and how I can’t PT/OTC Drug my way out of it. Best of luck!

I had spinal fusion on L4,L5 and S1
I no longer have lower back pain but my right foot is partially paralyzed, severe neuropathy and I have a pronounced limp. Prior to surgery I did not have a limp or neuropathy. This didn’t answer your question but surgery may have dire consequences.

@amykins789 I wanted to welcome you to Connect. This is something we all wonder about if pain means that things are getting worse. Perhaps you may want to diagram your pain on a body drawing periodically and date it, so you will know if symptoms are progressing. I did that myself and documented so many weird pain symptoms that I scared several surgeons out of helping me because they couldn't understand how the pain related to the imaging of my spine. I had spinal cord compression from a collapsed C5/C6 disc with bone spurs so it was pot luck what part of the cord was getting touched or pressed as it moved within the spinal canal with neck movement. Doing my diagrams also helped me find literature of surgical cases like mine that was considered a rare presentation of cord compression called funicular pain. I did bring this information to a surgeon at Mayo who understood this and did a cervical fusion.

Generally speaking, I think there is a window of time before a condition progresses to impinging and damaging nerves where surgery is most beneficial. Surgery can also stop further progression of a problem, but may not be able to fix any permanent damage that had already occurred, and of course, you need to find the right surgeon for the job and understand the risk to benefit relationship.

There is definitely no fun in funicular. Oh my gosh. That diagram suggestion is a fantastic idea. Thank you!