bronchiectasis and pulmonary vest usage causing back problems?

Yvonne - for what it's worth, when my doctor prescribed the Vest for me last fall, he warned that I might experience back pain. He said thinner or smaller people sometimes experience back pain from percussion vests. Fortunately I have not experienced that pain, but I wanted to let you know that evidently it is a real problem when using the vests. Wishing you the best.
Carolyn

Thank you. Still trying to sort it all out.
Appreciate your input.
Yvonne

Due to my small size, spinal stenosis and arthritis in my spine and elsewhere, my pulmonologist said she doesn't consider a vest as an option for me.
I have figured out a bunch of strategies that work well instead. This is actually a positive for me because it is one less device to deal with - and I don't have to deal with it when I travel (frequently)
Sue

Hi Sue,
I have an update.
I stopped using the vest because of worsening back problems.
I started with decreasing the setting but gave up on that also.
I have contacted the Philips company regarding contraindications for people with back issues.
They refer to "your pulmonologist".
I strongly urge people with degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis and any other spine problems to refrain from using it.
I have used the vest for 1 and1/2 year and am now scheduled for major back surgery.
I believe that my back issues have exacerbated since its usage.
Yvonne

Busybeans,

I saw your remark regarding your spinal problems resulting from NTM.
I could not find anything in the literature that supports that statement.
I would appreciate it if you can clarify this for me.
Thank you, Yvonne

Hello Yvonne,
I'm pasting the link from NIH https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5446199/ that talks about this. But most of the information came from my NJH doctor. I wanted to have a vibrating vest to loosen the sputum so I could stop nebulizing (which causes a chronic sore throat). I was told that with my spinal stenosis (not caused by NTM) and scoliosis (exacerbated by NTM) that I wasn't a good candidate for a vest. I haven't investigated further so if you find studies that debunk this theory I'm open to reading them. Thanks, Busy

Thank you Busy,
Very very interesting.
If I find anything else I will let you know but your link explained a lot to me.
Wish you the best.
Yvonne

This isn't a study of whether bronchiectasis/NTM cause back problems. It was to identify whether individuals who already have some of those problems are more prone to MAC & bronch.

In the article (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5446199/) this is from the conclusion:
"We found that a subset of patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease without clear risk factors possess a novel predisposing syndrome, characterized by a distinct body phenotype, lower levels of whole-blood IFN-γ after ex vivo stimulation, and altered serum adipokine levels normalized for body fat."

In other words, if you have heard the expression "Lady Windemere's Syndrome", where thin, fit, healthy women "of a certain age" suddenly went into a decline with cough, fatigue, weight loss and repeated pneumonia, those old docs were onto something. And it goes a bit deeper than physique, and includes specific characteristics of the blood and the immune system.

It is similar to conclusions regarding other characteristics predisposing one to cancer or heart disease. Some of these "hidden" issues are being brought to our attention by science and research.

Another piece to the puzzle.
Sue

Hi Yvonne:
I have bronchiectasis and Mac. I am 5'4" and 118 lbs. I do the compression vest 2x per day. I have chronic lower back and hip problems and have not noticed any worsening of symptoms due to the vest. I use the Hillrom vest. Wishing you the best. Take good care.