Back Problems

[johnleveritt]

For John and Don....did your wives try the therapy first? Or was surgery the only option? My physical therapist is hoping the traction will help, but he said the numbness is concerning. I really HATE this...I know I'm not 20 years old anymore, but I'm not 90 yet either!! How do I choose a "good" surgeon, if that is the route I take? Thanks for your help!

Betsy

The surgeon gave Ellen 3 choices:

Physical therapy, and pain management with his partner.
Small surgery, just going into the back, but not a permanent solution.
Big surgery, going into the front, and back, but a permanent solution. She chose this one, and has been quite happy with her decision.

This was her course of action. She went to the emergency room, because she couldn't move due to the pain. They sent her to her family doctor for a followup. He referred her to a neurologist.

Ellen was referred to her surgeon, by her neurologist. If you haven't been to a neurologist yet, go, and have him check for nerve damage. Hopefully the neurologist will know of a really good surgeon, if you need one.

Of course, if your close to Las Vegas, Ellen can send you to her surgeon.

 

[Cabbie]

Just a question; does the pain go away as soon as you sit down. My back has been getting worse over the last couple of years to the point that I can't spend much time standing or walking without the back and legs starting to cramp up. I talked to me Dr about it and he quickly new what the problem was but I don't think he called it sciatica? He indicated it was caused by the disk in L1 or L2 sliding forward when I stand.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There are two places I would trust with back or neck surgery - the Cleveland Clinic or the  Mayo. They aren't the only places with capable neurosurgeons (or musculo-skeletal surgeons), but they are the reliable choices. My wife had shattered discs in her neck and back as a result of an auto accident and horrendous neurological problems as a result. We saw numerous specialist doctors and therapists for over two years with no improvement whatsoever before an anesthetist suggested (privately) calling the Cleveland Clinic.  They diagnosed the problem accurately and laid out the method of fixing it on the first visit (after reviewing already existing MRIs and Xray). We also contacted Mayo and they were knowledgeable about the problem & solution too, but did not want to get involved because it was an accident case. We had private insurance that covered the surgery, so it was not a money issue - they simply did not want to risk being called into court.

Chiropractors can provide a lot of relief and do ti quickly, but only rarely can they offer a permanent fix (my opinion). If a couple visits don't make the problem go away, be resigned to ongoing therapy as a means of pain relief, but do not expect to be cured by additional visits.

 

[jackbetsy]

Just a question; does the pain go away as soon as you sit down. My back has been getting worse over the last couple of years to the point that I can't spend much time standing or walking without the back and legs starting to cramp up. I talked to me Dr about it and he quickly new what the problem was but I don't think he called it sciatica? He indicated it was caused by the disk in L1 or L2 sliding forward when I stand.

My pain goes completely away with reclining. Sometimes I can sit and have no pain, but the only way to completely relieve the pain is by reclining, so, consequently, I spend a lot of time on the couch. I do also have a herniation in L1,L2, so sliding discs could complicate the problem.  But, in my case the herniation at L5 S1 is pressing on the sciatic nerve. Sciatica generally affects one side of the body (I think) with shooting pain down the sciatic nerve.  Wish we could get some answers!!

 

[MLCBFarrell]

Jackbetsy, I can understand what you're going through.
I have a girlfriend that has been suffering with this same kind of pain for the last year. She hurt her back at work, and described the pain almost exactly the way you do. Like you, she only gets relief from lying flat. I know her problems were with the lowest couple of "L" vertabrae. She tried the therapy and all the drugs. She is very active with her teenage kids, taking them all over the country for sporting events. She was tired of not being able to be the same kind of mom that she used to be. She is in her mid to late 40's. She finally decided to have the surgery.

We're in VA, and she actually found a great neurosurgeon locally who has since been seen on Oprah! This Dr. put a bracket on the 2 vertabrae that were the problem. He went through the FRONT of her, with a C-section style incision. A general surgeon did that, moved everything aside, and the neurosurgeon went in and did his thing. He said that he's found there is less scar tissue formed around the spine this way, which causes its own set of problems. She got a lot of relief from having that done. However, because she had to wait so long for Worker's Comp. to okay having all this done, it aggravated some problems higher up that she didn't even know about until this first injury occurred. Now, the pain/problem is higher up, and she's looking for relief again. She's now contemplating surgery for this other problem. She finally felt with the first surgery "why not, I can't do anything now anyways", so that's why she gave it a try.

Hope you find an answer, because I know how it changes your life. She can only work partial days, then must come home and lie down. She has to plan ahead, and if she's going to do something that won't allow her the chance to lie down, then she takes pain medication. She feels like her previous life is OVER and worries what the future holds for her, as far as being able to enjoy retired life.
Good luck, and don't give up the search for relief!

LuAnn

 

[jackbetsy]

UPDATE: Surgery is scheduled for June 20. I can't stand this anymore....tried the traction physical therapy, drugs (lyrica, celebrex, neurontin, vicodin,pamelor), and the steroid injections to no avail. This week's New England Journal of Medicine cites a new study of sciatica which shows surgery to be a very viable option for pain relief and actually having surgery sooner rather than later is recommended...so, I am holding a good thought! I'll let you know!

 

[Mike Goad]

I have been diagnosed with sciatica. Sharp, shooting pain down my right butt, into my calf, and the three middle toes of my right foot are numb. Standing and walking are difficult at best. I have had an MRI which shows herniation at L1, L2, L5 and S1, with the L5/S1 hernation transversing a nerve root.  The neurosurgeon has prescribed Celebrex and Lyrica as well as traction physical therapy three times a week. 

Wow, that is not good. 

There was a study in the news recently that compared the condition after 10 years of people who had surgery and people who did not.  The results were that there was very little difference in the conditions between the two groups. 

My interest in the topic is that I had a herniated disk 11 years ago and didn't have the surgery.  After a couple of weeks with intense pain, it was significantly reduced after a trip to the emergency room when the pain suddenly became excruciating (11 on a scale of 1 to 10).  I was given a shot in the emergency room -- not sure what it was -- and recovery started from that point.

I can't say that I'm entirely pain free, but the pain is just occasional and relatively minor.  I do have some residual numbness in my toes.

After saying all of that, I had one herniated disk. 

Good luck on the surgery.  I can certainly sympathize.  They day my pain went through the roof, I would have opted for the surgery right then and there!

One of my students last year had a herniated cervical disk and opted not to have the surgery because  he was feeling much better and the recovery might have impacted his training which was a prerequisite for a significant promotion.

 

[jackbetsy]

UPDATE...Wow! I am a happy camper! I had the microdiscectomy on June 20th and just had my 6 week post-op checkup with my surgeon yesterday. I am almost pain-free (mornings seem to be the worst...I guess from sleeping in the same position all night).  I have some residual aching and my right toes are still numb. (The surgeon thinks that will improve with time).  He feels no physical therapy is necessary and just recommends walking to my heart's content. I highly recommend this surgery! The incision pain was minimal and actually not nearly as bad as the sciatica I endured for 6 months!  Recovery takes some patience as it seemed to be two steps forward, one step back!  But, I feel I have my life back! Walking is a pleasure again!

 

[Tom]

Sounds like successful surgery, congratulations.

 

[Mike Goad]

That is absolutely great news!  I hope the aching and numbness goes away or gets less.  I would think that walking and regular physical activity would help.  I know it does for me.

 

[Ron]

Great news.  Good to hear it worked out for you.