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back pain and inflammation

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I realize this isn't a medical board but I'm hoping to get some anecdotal advice or thoughts.

Four years ago I ruptured a disc in my back and I've been in and out of physical therapy ever since. In between physical therapy I do yoga to alleviate pain but sometimes it is too much and I end up getting a steroid injection. This provides tremendous relief, the physical therapists declares himself successful, and the cycle continues.

I've done all of the normal things to alleviate back pain. Bought a good quality bed, work on my core strength, yoga, posture, frequent stretching etc but the only time I feel good is when I get the steroid injection.

So I'm wondering what I could do, on my own, to alleviate the inflammation. Prednisone works well but is hard to come by. What could I try to achieve some relief? I am open to ANY solution that does not dull my mind (vicodin for four years, yuck).

Thank you for your suggestions.
 
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Probably not what you want to hear but the steroid injections are like putting aspirin on a toothache. Dulls the pain but destroys the tooth. Steroids are dangerous and long term use will cause other problems.

I have had 3 back surgeries in the past 5 years. Laminectomy - It relieved the major pain but did not last. Spinal Fusion - Fusion of 4 vertebrae which eliminated all of the pain. Second Spinal Fusion - Two screws began to back out after 2 years and caused a fracture at L3. Now have 5 vertebrae fused.

Keep doing the PT but do not over do it. Core strength is the proper thing to do if done in moderation. Excess core training can cause more injury. The cause of the pain is irritation of the nerves from a full or partial herniation of one or more discs. Steroids are only reducing inflammation caused by the herniation. They do not "cure" anything! Prednisone will kill you too - stay away from it!

Good luck.
 
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My doctor recommended against fusion saying it had only a 50% chance of reducing pain. It sounds like it worked very well for you though. May I ask your age and activity level?

I have to admit that what I REALLY want is to have more ready access to steroid anti inflamatories. Now you recommend against it, strongly, so I'm wondering if you can expand on the negative side effects?

Thank you for your help.
 
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I am 60 years old and suffered with my back for 20 plus years. My level of activity used to be high. At one time I could play golf, racquetball, basketball and free weight training. Today I can do none of these and am limited to mild core exercise.

I had a bad back to begin with but as it deteriorated over the years I developed more pain and was able to do less activity due to pain.

When you say "your Doctor recommended against fusion", what are his / her qualifications? Is he / she a specialist in pain management or a neurosurgeon? I did the "pain management" for 3 years and found it to be a total waste of time. Once I finally found a "qualified" and highly recommended neurosurgeon he ordered a bone scan (to rule out bone cancer), an electrical stimulation test, and the MRI.

The tests and images confirmed the deterioration, pinched nerve(s), and herniation of multiple discs. No amount of PT or medications can fix these problems, and spinal fusion is not always the answer either.

I would suggest you first search out a "qualified" and competent specialist / surgeon for their opinion. It took me months to find my surgeon. He is the chief spinal neurosurgeon at a teaching hospital in Wisconsin. If only I had the laminectomy years ago I would not be as bad as I am today. The laminectomy was a painless operation and I was back to work in a week. There are other procedures which involve less invasive measures, but until you know the full extent of the damage you can not just select your treatment.

As far as steroids and their negative effects just do some searches on google. One is loss of calcium from bones, which can lead to osteoporosis, fractures and further deterioration of the effected disc. As I said before, using steroids is like putting an aspirin on a bad tooth - it may give temporary relief but it will destroy the bone (tooth).

Hope you get some relief.
 

RavingMac

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To add my two cents, Yoga is sometimes invoked as a cure-all, but if you are trying to recover from a back injury (I went through this twenty years ago and am currently around 80% of my pre-injury) there are very specific exercises you should and shouldn't do.

I am 59 and thankfully didn't require surgery, and I consider the knife the last choice, but there are cases when there is no other viable option. If a reasonable regimen of rest and proper exercising isn't doing it you may have to go that route. I'd start by visiting a couple of specialists.

EDIT: I studied Martial Arts for 20 years so I am familar with the exercises and stretches involved. Unfortunately you can't go on how it feels while you are doing them (I learned this the hard way).
 

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