Dealing with back pain.

[pippin]

So I've got degenerative disk disease in my lumbar vertebrae. Never a good place for it.

Having had two back surgeries already within the space of a week of each other (the second one was because of issues from the first one - probably my fault but who knows).

The pain goes away and comes back every now and then. But, since say, august, it has pretty much gotten to the point of being consistent. I've gone from vicodin to norco, and now am on percocet and robaxin twice a day (as directed). I'm going back to see my specialist on 12/7 and requesting an MRI to see if the problem has worsened. The xrays back in may didn't show anything new, but this pain is worse now than what it was back then.

My regular doc says its just muscular, but I'm beginning to have my doubts as now I've got sciatic pain to boot.

So, I know some of you have back issues, how do you deal with it? Aside from the drugs, I see a personal trainer, a physical therapist and I go to the gym twice a week (well, I used to until my work schedule got screwed up but I'll be going back to the gym more often after this week).

Has anyone tried acupuncture? I'm reluctant to see a chiropractor as I've got black disks not white ones (as shown on MRI's and CT scans - white disks are normal, black ones aren't), so my disks are in a rather fragile state as it is.

I'm about ready to start seeking alternative treatments to treat this issue. I'm not happy and since winter is about to roll around, I'm going to go nuts.

[KJ Smith]

Have you tried an inversion table ?

Kevin

[pippin]

where i lay on my back upside down? no.

I've had traction though, where they stretch me out and make me two inches taller

[Stacey]

Massage therapy from a competent orthopedic massage therapist- someone who specializes in postural and orthopedic soft tissue conditions?

[KJ Smith]

You are not supposed to go up side down, just barely past horizontal.

Its just enough to take the pressure off your back.

[kenw]

I had major back pain (muscular) for many years, meds controlled but never cured it.

the cure came when we went to a waterbed, a motionless, 2 bagger (separate for me and for wife), dual heat. Regular queen sized and looked like a regular bed; not a 70s looking thang....

Absolutely cured it. It was fabulous.

Alas over 20 years it developed a few too many 2am leaks and after more than a few arguments ....she didn't want another waterbed, i KNEW a regular matress would be the death of me...we found the Select Comfort bed in the mall.

We got it, tried it for the 60 day free trial and have now had it for at least 10 years. It is every bit as good for my back as the waterbed was. (altho the waterbed was always warm....the air mattress has no heaters) We have 2 separate 'bags" and can control the firmness separately. All of our sheets, etc, fit perfectly. Without the sheets it looks exactly like a regular mattress.

ain't cheap, but well worth it.

When I spend more than a single night on a regular mattress, it is very painful to get up in the morning. We love this mattress. I highly recommend it.

[jon_k]

Talking on the topic, both my parents have this disease, and back problems in general.

Are there outside factors that can inflict this later in life? Or is it purely on account to being victim to your gene pool? Any way to prevent it?

I pull my back lifting sometimes, and that's just a muscle pull. I can only imagine when the discs degrade and bone rubs bone. Back injuries don't sound fun. I'm just 22 and if I can do something to stop degeneration later, I'll do it!

[guitarbug]

I feel you're pain. I had a differn't problem, it was my right knee. 15 years ago I was in a motercycle wreck that basicly ripped my knee off. Fortunatly they saved it through multible surgerys. I lived with pain for about 15 years until I could not live with it any more. Thats when the pain medication started, it started off slow and built up to way to much. Then the Doctors decided it was time for the knee to come out and they did a replacment. They said the pain would be less, but it got worse and I also have less mobility now. The pain meds they had me on reached rediculus amounts, so bad that other doctors could not believe I was getting so many prescribed to me. After 2 years of 20 vicodins a day and Oxycontin I decided to go and detox off them and go back to being in pain without meds. The funny thing is this, at the hospital where I went to detox my body from the drugs they were going to let me go cold turkey and I started to freak out. I told them that I could have done this at home by myself and I was not a junkie that they got me on these and they were going to get me off them through IV or something. The next day they came in with this new experimental drug called Suboxone. It saved my life! All it took was the very first tablet under my tonge and from that moment on I was off the pain killers and have not had one moment of pain since. Its a true wonder drug and its not a opiate, its an opiate blocker and it works wonders. Only certian Dr's can even precsribe it. I take one mid day and one in the eve and thats it! No more watching the clock and wondering if its medication time again. Talk to you're DR and ask him about it, you will be glad you did.

[pippin]

Originally Posted by jon_k

Are there outside factors that can inflict this later in life? Or is it purely on account to being victim to your gene pool? Any way to prevent it?\

According to my specialist - its largely a genetic issue. My mum has it in her cervical vertebrae. I got the short straw and have it in my lumbar.

Unfortunately, since my surgeries almost two years ago, the pain in terms of the sciatic pain have subsided (until this week) but now its predominantly stiff and painful. But the past few weeks its just gotten worse.

Thanks all for the suggestions - I'm writing a list to take to my doc. He pretty much said that at my age (26) I've currently got two options - deal with the pain or have a fusion. Problem with the fusion is that I'd be back in a couple of years having it done again.

We picked the pain management, and although it works some time, there are times like this where its just too unbearable.

My doc has me on robaxin and percocet twice a day currently. I was on 2 vicodin every 4 hours (on the dot) then norco every four hours (on the dot again). Done the ultram, but there's a risk of seizures with the paxil I'm on..

[ol geezer]

Acupuncture works for me. I have suffered with back pain for years and feel I am too old for surgery at this point. Six to eight acupuncture treatments gives me 80 to 90% relief. If I continued regular treatment (one or two sessions per month-which I have not) I probably could achieve a low pain %.

[JamesB]

I have had acupuncture and I don't like needles. It was completely painless and it did help with my muscular problem in my back. Acupuncture just feels like someone lightly tapping you with their finger.

I took a spill on my bike (the one with peddles) a few months ago and ever since I have had a pain in my middle back. I tried physical therapy and message therapy and nothing worked. then I went to a chiropractor (a good one and not a holistic care one) and after 4 visits my back is much better and pain free.

if you do decide to see a chiropractor, you really need to do your homework and research on each one as there are a lot of "quack" chiropractor's out there. the chiropractor you see should request functional (standing up, not laying down) x-rays before your first visit so they can know what your problem looks like before he touches you.

I found out my C1 aC2 cervical vertebrae are not aligned properly and are off center by about 1/4 inch, which has been the cause of my "neck headaches" for the last umpteen years, so he has to get that snapped back into place as well. I would not have believed it if I did not see the x-rays my self.

James

[JenJohnson79]

Originally Posted by pippin

According to my specialist - its largely a genetic issue. My mum has it in her cervical vertebrae. I got the short straw and have it in my lumbar.

Unfortunately, since my surgeries almost two years ago, the pain in terms of the sciatic pain have subsided (until this week) but now its predominantly stiff and painful. But the past few weeks its just gotten worse.

Thanks all for the suggestions - I'm writing a list to take to my doc. He pretty much said that at my age (26) I've currently got two options - deal with the pain or have a fusion. Problem with the fusion is that I'd be back in a couple of years having it done again.

We picked the pain management, and although it works some time, there are times like this where its just too unbearable.

My doc has me on robaxin and percocet twice a day currently. I was on 2 vicodin every 4 hours (on the dot) then norco every four hours (on the dot again). Done the ultram, but there's a risk of seizures with the paxil I'm on..

I have this condition as well. . . but mine was due to a severe car wreck.

[newtune3]

Lisa, I feel your lumbar pain. I have been dealing with lumbar pair now for over 25 years. Dr. said I would know when I was ready for surgery. I am at that point. Ultram is working OK but have a visit with my Surgeon on the 29th. My issue is bad enough that my chiropractor won't do anything but TENS and heat. We are describing mechanical defects in the spine that is not responsive long term to conservative treament. Dont' know if I will have surgery, but the pain has got to go. Walking around talking photos is now painful. That is where I draw the line. LOL. Good luck with your back!!!

[Tapper]

Welcome to hell. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with the human back, and what you can do, depends solely on what's really wrong. MRI's and discograms can define mechanical problems. Not all of them can be fixed. In fact, many can't. Doctors really have only three tools in their arsenal - drugs (for pain), physical therapy (stronger muscles reduce inflammation), and surgery. Surgery is a total crapshoot, and a lot of it doesn't work very well. None of it is a guarantee.

I have a blown L5/S1 disk, big herniation. The ejected mass presses on my sciatic nerve bundle. It can hurt, a lot. I've had a diskectomy, which promptly relapsed. I'm a daily 5, and now and then, I live with 8 or 9. If you know what I'm referring to, then you also know what that means. I take no pills. My body has adapted to the pain level, and I'm living a decent life, despite the back. Cuts, bruises, scrapes, bumps - I don't even feel them anymore.

My first advice, is to figure out exactly what is wrong. Then, research hell out of it. Develop a realistic picture of what's really wrong with you. Don't be satisfied with what your doctor says - they seldom tell you the realistic truth of what you are facing. They don't want to be sued, and they do want you to continue treatment.

Second - get real about pain medicine. The sad truth is, that narcotics are the only really effective pain reliever for pain in the class usually produced by back problems. There are others out there, but most of them just don't give much relief. So you'd better come to grips with the downside of narcotics. You have to develop your own plan for dealing with their side effects, and the medical establishment that gives them to you. Opiates are effective at relieving pain for about 4 hours or so, depending on the type of pill (some are time released and last longer). But they stay attached to the receptors in your brain for about 12 hours. If you take them more often than every 12 hours for even a week - you will develop a dependance, the severity of which will depend on the dosage size, and your own psychology. The devil of it is - without them, you may not have much life - confined to a bed, or unable to do much of anything. With them, you run the risk of having your life really royally messed up by the side effects of the drug. If you have to take them long term, and many back sufferers do, understand that the doctors will pretend that dependence doesn't exist, and if you have it, it must be because you were abusing them. They don't want to get sued, and don't want to admit they gave you a pill which can do you extreme harm. So don't look for them to provide any real help with the side effects. And if they write "drug dependence" on your medical charts - expect to catch crap from every doctor you ever see in the future. They won't want to give you any more pain medication, whether you need it or not, because they're afraid of being sued, or getting attacked by the DEA.

Jesus, I could write a book about pain pills, but a few short rules will help:

1. Don't take them unless you absolutely have to to function. Learn to endure a higher pain level. You'd be surprised what your physiology can do if you let it.
2.If you must, then take them. But understand them for what they are - necessary evil.
3. Always be pushing yourself to take less. Always.
4. Learn to differentiate between real pain, and the dope whispering "you hurt" in your ear.
5. Never ever admit to your doctor that you have a dependence. He already knows. But if you say it, he'll be forced to really screw up your life. So shut the hell up.
6. When the pain quits, stop taking the pills. It'll suck, but not as much as continuing to take them will. Three days of really sick, is better than throwing away your humanity.

If you have a mechanical problem, and not just a soft tissue injury - do your research. People with minor problems are always suggesting chiropracters, herbal healing, accupuncture, etc etc. Avoid quackery, and stick with real medicine and mechanics. Understand, there is no miracle cure in store for you any time soon. Maybe one day, but not today. Ignore people offering one to you.

Lastly, read the recent research. The most important of which has showed that six-12 months after surgery, most people were at about the same place as those who elected to avoid surgery. Don't take my word for this - read the research. After reading it, start making a clear plan based on reality, and chances are you may make it through this.

[carrbowl]

I have an idea, that is relatively cheap considering all the other alternatives. I started taking it because I have one type of arthritis from my Mom and the other from my Dad. Of course I thought my back pain was due to the 10 pound weight gain from a change in migraine medicine, come to find out it was a kidney infection. But this stuff seems to take away alot of aches that I've had that have been there and I've just lived with because of age. It is Elastijoint from Labrada. I am not a supporter of these products and extremely sceptical. Within one week I saw a big difference. If you don't think you notice a diffference, take it for two weeks, then stop. That's what I did and I was shocked by how many aches came back!! It's about $40 for a months worth..you just mix it up with water and drink one or two daily. The taste is fine. Good luck, back pain is miserable and affects everything you do.