I Can't Be the Only Person With This Issue

Hello all I'm a fellow sufferer with chronic pain. I know I have tight muscles and muscle tension, which makes everything worse. There are some reasons why I might have pain but not to this extent. Although not, everyone is open to this however, if nothing else has worked. I would highly recommend delving into the mind body world, a.k.a. Neuroplastic syndromes
Most chronic pain is actually reversible and often not related to the structural abnormalities we all have. I believe strongly in this however for me, it's much more of an autonomic nervous system issue I believe and I'm have an atypical CRPS, which has made my pain increase. I would recommend going back to basics Reid John, Saryn,
Healing back pain.
Also ATNS association for the treatment of neuroplastic syndromes, symptomatic.me

No harm in looking up practitioners there are all the resources and there's plenty on YouTube
Dan Buglio, who was crooked from pain for 13 years has many videos on this
Dan Ratner pain psychologist also history of chronic pain he has cured
Howard Schubiner MD just wrote a new addition of his book unlearn your pain so there's lots to look at and it really can't hurt only the edge to potential healing
IMHO

@marcd2k I gave up looking. I started feeling more like a guinea pig than anything. The emg/ nerve conduction on me showed nothing wrong with my spine but just the muscle being permanently contracted. It’s an interesting sound listening to the machine and the noise it makes in the contracted muscle. Have you had a nerve rhiztomy where they cut the nerve to that muscle. The spasm is still there but it releases the nerve. They can’t do that to the one in my neck shoulder area. They do it in the piriformis muscle the sciatic nerve runs through that muscle so it being contracted it affects the nerve. It hurts to sit. I am ready for they to do another si rhizotomy.

Sorry for what you're going through Marc. I'm a candidate for fusing S1 through L5, but have put that off by maintaining a strong core. Even so, I wake up with a very stiff lower back everyday.

When you say the muscles have "locked up" - I take that to mean they are tight to the point of pain, and massage and dry needling have not worked.

I get dry needled in my upper and lower back every two weeks. The results have been v good but have taken time. One session isn't going to help much, it takes regular needling.

I hope you find an answer Marc. Have you gotten another surgeon's opinion on how well the fusion was done/is doing?

Joe

I am so sorry that you are experiencing this. Have you ever researched the diagnosis "Arachnoiditis" or "Adhesive Arachnoiditis " ?
I unfortunately have this condition after 9 back surgeries. You may want to research it and possibly talk with your doctors about it too.

@artemis1886
Have you ever tried dry needleing?
This was amazing. My PT did it and it helped the 1st day it was done. I had so much pain, I could not even lay my head/neck on pillow.

@bealillie Thank you for replying. I have been to all of the major hospitals in my city, and I have seen 25 to 30 doctors, all with no measurable results. I am ready to start looking into other areas that i have not tried, and your suggestion is one way to go. I'll be researching the gentlemen you referenced to see what I can find in my area.

@mmata Thank you for writing. No, I had not heard of Arachnoiditis before your message. I will look into this this week, as I have received multiple suggestions to try here on the Mayo board, and I will be looking at them all.

@marcd2k
I don't want you to be discouraged when you research Arachnoiditis and Adhesive Arachnoiditis, but both of these are extremely rare in not only the US, but also throughout the World too. Since it is si rare, there have not been many or frequent clinical trials, plus there have not been any medications that have been known to be of help with the pain. Since Arachnoiditis and Adhesive Arachnoiditis is caused by actual clumps of nerves that form in various areas by the spine, it can be a progressive condition that starts in one level of the spine, such as the Lumbar area - and then can progress to the Thoracic spine and possibly may progress even even further to the cervical spine with each level developing these "nerve clumps". With this condition injections to try to help the pain are not advised, as an injection "may" compromise one of the nerve clumps and could cause more damage. In addition, at this time, surgery is not advised either for the same reason. I just didn't want you to be surprised as you do your research. You are in my prayers. I hope that you can find help for your personal situation.
mmata

@mmata Hello again, and thank you for the updated information. I have read some information, and unfortunately, it is what you are saying in this message. But you also mentioned something about the nerve clumps that have me thinking.

About three to four weeks ago, my surgeon suspected a Neuroma in my abdominal wall on the right side. And from what I've read about Neuromas, they are a clump of nerve endings that have been injured or damaged. My pain doctor tried nerve block injections in my side back in the first week of May. So, just over three weeks later and there has been no change in my condition.

The part of your message that got me thinking is when you stated injections are not advised, as they may cause more damage. So, this same pain doctor has now done injections twice. The first time was back in February, he performed an epidural at T11-T12, and 48 hours after I was in more pain than before the epidural.

My right obliques were then very sensitive to strain/stress, so it didn't take much weight to cause them to lock up. It's like having a calf cramp in your side. At least with a calf cramp you can massage it out and start walking on it to keep it loose. Nothing I can do when my side locks up, I have to ride it out.

I'm thinking something happened with the epidural. I have had two previous epidurals at T12-L1, and neither of them caused any pain. Neither of them improved anything either, not worse, but not better. This epidural at T11-T12 was painful during the procedure, to the point I was yelling while lying on the table and a needle in my spine. And then 48 hours later I was in more pain than ever. To this day, my obliques are constantly locked once I'm out of bed.

Laying on my back is the only way to get relief, but that causes other problems staying in bed most of the day. My heels still hurt, ever since my surgery in November of 2025, until today. I'm still using pillows under my calves to keep my heels from touching. It's never-ending.

@heyjoe415 Hi Joe, thank you for replying. Yes, you are correct regarding my locked muscles. They are tight to the point I am in pain all day, every day, as soon as I get out of bed. Nothing I have tried over the past 3 years has done anything to release them. Laying on my back is the only way to get relief, and I am starting to have to lay down more every day. And now that is causing other pain issues, so I just can't catch a break.

I'm not sure what dry needling is, so I will be looking that up today. I have run out of ideas for myself, and I'm glad there are people like you out there to ask questions of.