Help with walking.
Hi everyone!
This is my first post! I am only 44 and living with really bad back pain. It’s gotten worse over the last few years and the mri showed degeneration of L5-S1 part of my spine. I have tried back freezing to see if I would be a candidate for ablation and cortisone I have also tried celebrex and naproxen. I go to physio, chiro, Osteo, massage. Any tips would be great! Thanks
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Im bot sure, vut it night be time to get a spine surgeon to weigh in.
@melissam011 Welcome to Connect. You mentioned results from an MRI showing degeneration of L5-S1. Was that recent? Have your providers suggesting consulting a spine surgeon? I know that can be a big scary step, but you do need to know where you stand in order to be able to advocate for your best care. In the end, a decision comes down to an educated choice and your decision. Another consideration is how will this change as you age? Generally speaking, disks shrink with aging and dry out a little bit. If there has been some damage earlier in your life, there may be a crack or weak area in the wall of a disk. With the shrinking, that can open up and herniate. Usually it bulges first perhaps for many years and may not advance further. I am a spine surgery patient for a cervical disk herniation that took 20 years to proceed to rupturing, and I did have a cervical fusion.
I’d look into the Gokhale Primal Posture method. A Mayo MD/PhD called it “the greatest contribution ever made to non surgical back pain treatment.” Start with the book and do a training if possible.
Spine degeneration doesn’t occur over night and this must have been going on for some time. Either you ignored the pain or made up excuses not to do further investigation. I’d avoid surgery at all costs but if you need it, you need it. Get more than one opinion from an ortho and a neurosurgeon before you decide surgery. PT is your best bet to get help strengthening your back, legs and core muscles.
Get a referral to see a neurosurgeon, along with an MRI of your spine. If you're a candidate for surgery, do it. I've had 2 procedures done on my neck,C5-C6 and C7-T1 due to deteriorating/ruptured discs with good outcomes. It's not worth waiting for, it won't get better on it's own, especially if you're still working. The younger you are, the better(hopefully) your recovery will be.
Thanks everyone. My docs say I am not a candidate for surgery? I am in Canada and it’s hard to get good health care here. I am headed there in Nov as I have some blood work that shows inflammation and other symptoms. I really hope they can help. Thanks
I would consider a referral to a rheumatologist to rule out autoimmune disorders.
Deep water running!!! For many of us Deep water running is amazing for relief and to get moving. The weightlessness engages core muscles that are not used enough. Strengthening them is key to back support. Also ask your doctor if inversion table would be good for you. If yes, it is a good addition to treating pain.
Number one is deep water
Does anyone know or have Arachnoiditis in their spinal cord. It's kind of rare.
@joycecamden I have arachnoiditis after having a Medtronic intrathecal pump placed