Any conservative care success stories?

[newhere]

I fight with this pain 10 years. If you have annular tear,i think the pain is discogenic. Over long period no one ever suggest surgery,until now. After i did discography whic was totaly positive,they recomend surgery to fix annular tears. Please dont wait so much,because than is late for everything. Search for good doctor,who gona help you,not just give you the pills etc....

[jsewell]

WElcome Deb,
Has your doctor suggested any help in relieving your pain? I have had lumbar epidural injections which have helped tremendously. Of course you can see by my signature that i have also had tons of surgery too.
Just wanted to welcome you as i did not have any luck for the most part with conservative care.
judy

[cp7959]

Deb,

I think each case is different. Your Annular tears and disc bulges could have been there before the MVA and may have nothing to do with your problem. Or maybe a flare up of an existing pathology.

Your pain could stem from muscular spasms due to the MVA.

Did the MRI show any disc compression? If a surgeon can not correlate your symptoms with radiological findings I wouldn't rush into surgery.

I know it's seems like an eternity, but 4 months is not that long of a time with what your dealing with. Try and give your back a little more time to heal naturally. Easier said than done.

[jsewell]

Deb,
CP sounds like a good advice post. Have you tried medication for muscle spasms? how about acupuncture? I had some breaks in my spine including my neck which resulted in no choice but surgery. Also my spine curve was effecting my breathing so that was also an easy decision to have surgery. but CP is correct and no spine surgeon will operate without the radiological confirmation of the pain. I should say they shouldn't as far as what I have learned.
judy

[sahuaro]

I was also injured in a MVA, with c5/6 extrusion, among other injuries to shoulders and wrist. Physical therapy, including traction, massage and prescribed exercises held off surgery for 7 years--in the sense of easing but not eradicating symptoms--but when signs of spinal instability appeared, surgery was necessary.

[mmglobal]

here is an amazing success - cervical case.

Success Story

[Deb]

Thanks for replies everyone. i have had 2 mri scans, one week and then 3 months after mva.

For pain i have been on several types of prescribed meds, avoiding injections so far.

The chronic butt pain drives me nuts and only eases off after a nights sleep.
Because i was injured from side impact into hip area, i don't know if the L5 fracture, the squashed bulging discs, or some unidentified damage in pelvic region is cause of pain, and i don't think the surgeon i saw knows either. If i simply damaged a disc when lifting at least i would know the cause of any pain as a starting point.


Thank you for the link Mark. More time might help, but feels chronic now. I found an article "Natural history of lumbar disc hernia with radicular leg pain....." and learned that the body more readily resorbs free fragments and disc extrusions, rather than contained herniations which is what i have.

I was reading about "myofascial release" and wonder has anyone tried it. There are lots of muscle layers, nerves and joints in our pelvic / posterior. i thought it might be a safe treatment to try. Would be a miracle if it helped. Water exercise therapy has not helped so far. kind regards, Deb