1. < Bones, Joints & Muscles

I have been hurting for 10 months and there is no end in sight.

Posted by laelh @laelh, Jan 7, 2023

I had leg ablation surgery in March 2022 for veinous insufficiency. The inside of my leg was badly burned causing nerve damage. Then I had a torn meniscus in my left knee likely from walking incorrectly. The knee is fixed and now I have pain in my right leg and right knee. I had an MRI and determined I have mild stenosis in L3 and L4 in my back. I can't walk well, stand long and I was told I have arthritis in my left knee. What would be my next steps to try to get well? I do physical therapy exercises to strengthen my back.

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shaneilya | @shaneilya | Jan 25, 2023
In reply to @SusanEllen66 "I’m so sorry you are having such a hard time. Pain is not our friend. I..." + (show)
@SusanEllen66

I’m so sorry you are having such a hard time. Pain is not our friend. I also suffer with awful pain from several different maladies.
I go to a RHEUMATOLOGIST for arthritic pain and pain from an autoimmune disease that I have, and fibromyalgia
I see a NEUROLOGIST for my peripheral neuropathy
and occipital neuralgia both of which are very painful.

Because I’m on a blood thinner I can only take Tylenol.

I hope you start feeling better soon.

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I too am on a blood thiner, eliquis, but can take Tylenol.What blood thinner are you taking? I know without Tylenol backup puts you in a difficult situation.

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SusanEllen66 | @SusanEllen66 | Jan 25, 2023
In reply to @shaneilya "I too am on a blood thiner, eliquis, but can take Tylenol.What blood thinner are you..." + (show)
@shaneilya

I too am on a blood thiner, eliquis, but can take Tylenol.What blood thinner are you taking? I know without Tylenol backup puts you in a difficult situation.

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Yes, I also take Eliquis. I have a-Fib.
All these drugs…I want to wind the clock back 10 years to where I didn’t need anything at all!

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geraldmosier | @geraldmosier | Feb 3, 2023
In reply to @sequoia "@laehl I’m so sorry you are in so much pain. If I may, I would recommend..." + (show)
@sequoia

@laehl I’m so sorry you are in so much pain. If I may, I would recommend acupuncture. It may be able to help w/ your pain. It has worked for me. I had pain in my back for over a year. MRI, xRay showed no damage. Chiropractor was very helpful but not a fix for my problem. Strength training & yoga was very good but back pain still there. I finally was suggested acupuncture. She thinking it’s scar tissue from a surgery I had for breast cancer. I’ve had 5 sessions and it’s working excellent. It’s worth a try. Like you - I won’t give up. Stay strong! Blessings to you.

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To respond to seeing a quackoprcter google the founding father of this treatment you will find it was a snake oil salesman turned copper bracelet salesman that founded the practice. A placebo is a treatment used alot but does no good to the root problem.

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sequoia | @sequoia | Feb 3, 2023

@geraldmosier, you could have just scrolled by instead of showing your rudeness. Looks like you joined MayoConnect just to make this ‘comment’. God Bless you Gerald.

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spiritusheart22 | @spiritusheart22 | Feb 5, 2023

Gerald, it sounds like you chose the wrong alternative route for your care. However, I would not trade my Chiropractor to be treated by an allopathic doctor who does not look to the root cause of our dis-ease. Fortunately I have a good PCP along with an excellent chiropractor that I treasure. They both have their place in my journey of health and well being.
P.S. Our pain can also stem from unresolved emotional issues that end up residing in our bodies and often until we take care of what we are not willing to look at we suffer with pain. A vicious cycle of pain, stress of pain, more pain and so on. Bless you for reaching out for help.

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SusanEllen66 | @SusanEllen66 | Mar 12, 2023

Occipital Neuralgia is back big time and I am in a lot of pain.
Yesterday I had a headache on the right side of my head. This morning I woke up with awful “teeth aches” and jaw pain on my right side. I feel like I just got all of my teeth removed on the lower right. Of course TMJ accompanies all this.

I have put lidocaine (Aspercream) on my jaw. It helps. And I take 2 extra strength Tylenol.
What wreaks havoc is eating. The chewing motion flares up the pain. So, I don’t eat anything that needs lots of hard chewing.

I’ve been forgetting to do my neck exercises, so there it is, I have only myself to blame. Ugh…

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maxine50 | @maxine50 | Jul 25, 2023
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@laelh I agree that PT can help a lot, but it can't cure spinal stenosis. It..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@laelh I agree that PT can help a lot, but it can't cure spinal stenosis. It helps by building strength and hopefully helping to maintain better alignment. I wanted to let you know that not all spine procedures are huge surgeries with months of recovery. If you have central canal stenosis in the lumbar spine, a surgery that could address this is a laminectomy. Essentially, they make more room for the spinal cord by cutting through the bone and raising it up, kind of like adding a second floor to a house and raising the roof up to accommodate. My 80 year old cousin just had this done, and he only had 2 weeks of using pain meds, and was able to walk right away. He was back to his usual activities in about 4 weeks, so that is not a long difficult recovery.

If you have collapsing discs in your spine, your spine could start fusing itself by growing bone around it to stabilize it. That may not be a good situation if it causes compression of nerves.

If you have more specific questions about spine care, perhaps I can help. I have cervical spine surgery at Mayo that changed my life for the better. It's always good to have information so you know what choices are possible.

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I found your comments very interesting. I recently had MRI and it showed my spine is a lovely S with the lower end pointing into my right hip. I believe it since I have excruciating pain when I awake in the morning but still have to walk the dog with my mid body wrapped up tight. It was suggested I go to PT for it, but don't know for sure if it can kill the pain or stop the movement of my spine. I had a back massage and felt better for one day. Maybe should get another. Do not want any surgery at my age of 87 as I wouldn't make it through I think. Any ideas as to what else I can do besides PT?

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tedjones77494 | @tedjones77494 | Jul 26, 2023

Try some mild stretching before you get out of bed in the morning. Lay flat on your back with a pillow under your head. Slowly pick your logs up and bring your knees to your chest. Use your hands to help get those knees as close to your chest as your body will allow. Hold it for 20 seconds and release your legs all way back to flat on the bed. Do this 2 to 3 times before you get up in the morning.

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rjmtwit | @rjmtwit | Jul 26, 2023
In reply to @tedjones77494 "Try some mild stretching before you get out of bed in the morning. Lay flat on..." + (show)
@tedjones77494

Try some mild stretching before you get out of bed in the morning. Lay flat on your back with a pillow under your head. Slowly pick your logs up and bring your knees to your chest. Use your hands to help get those knees as close to your chest as your body will allow. Hold it for 20 seconds and release your legs all way back to flat on the bed. Do this 2 to 3 times before you get up in the morning.

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Knee to the chest is a great movement to reallign my SI Joint. Worth a try

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rjmtwit | @rjmtwit | Jul 26, 2023
In reply to @maxine50 "I found your comments very interesting. I recently had MRI and it showed my spine is..." + (show)
@maxine50

I found your comments very interesting. I recently had MRI and it showed my spine is a lovely S with the lower end pointing into my right hip. I believe it since I have excruciating pain when I awake in the morning but still have to walk the dog with my mid body wrapped up tight. It was suggested I go to PT for it, but don't know for sure if it can kill the pain or stop the movement of my spine. I had a back massage and felt better for one day. Maybe should get another. Do not want any surgery at my age of 87 as I wouldn't make it through I think. Any ideas as to what else I can do besides PT?

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You could also look into prolotherapy which tightens 'lax' ligaments, which hold the spine in place. I have had my lumbar and cervical spine ligaments worked on and it did a very good job. Prolotherapy is done by doctors, many are 'Regenerative Medicine' Doctors. Good luck!

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