Poll: Any Spine/Back Issues

I have lumbar nerve compression.

I had severe cervical disk bulging and stenosis which was squishing my spine. I had an anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion C5-C7. I would never have had the fusion done, had I known better. Less than 2 months out of surgery, I showed marked degeneration of the levels above and below the fusion.

I've had my thoracic spine xrayed, but no MRI and the xray shows bone spurring. Who knows what an MRI would show.

So the answer is yes.....I have a lot of what you asked.

Since the fusion, I have had 2 different types of PT lasting 3 months each series and another series for just 2 visits, all had home exercises. I quit both series' of PT because it seemed to be making things worse.

I have had one round of trigger point injections which made me so damned sick for 3 days and gave me not much more than a day of relieg, it wasn't worth trying again.

I have had a cortisone shot in my shoulder for continued shoulder pain which I have been told that I should not have because my MRI doesn't show enough damage to perform surgery.

I have had no other treatment other than my own pool therapy, home stretching and deep breathing.

I also have bone spurs in my spine, a heel spur, and one on my knee...and those are only the ones I know about! When I'm in a fibro flare my knee and spine hurt the worst. My entire back is inflammed and in spasm. The chiropractor is the only one who gives me any relief when I'm like this...after an adjustment I ice any swelling or inflammed area. Most every night I sleep on a heating pad to relax the muscles. I have to believe that the fibro is somehow tied into this, maybe part of the same inflammatory disease process?

I had back surgery on 2001 and after that is when my fibro seemed to get worse. When I am in a flare I get so many spasms in my back during the day and sometimes in my sleep - it wakes me up. My right knee gets such an ache in it that I can't stand it.

Anxious to hear how this discussion went with the migraine group, too. I have constant headaches and occasionally they become severe enough to put me in the bed.

Thanks again everyone!

I too have scoliosis. Mild and have had it since childhood. No doc has EVER said anything about it since the first doc said I had it. And, that was after one of those 'bend down slow tests at school'.

However, I'd like to share this little story...

I had a tumor next to my spine in like 1995(ish). I went to a HUGE, WELL KNOWN hospital to see a doc that knew what he was doing. When looking at an x-ray of the tumor he commented that I need to quit going to the Chiropractor...then turned and asked how long I'd been seeing one. My answer??? "I've never been to one, EVER". And at that time, I hadn't! He said, "Ha, you coulda fooled me".

So, what he meant, I don't know but I DO know that my back has hurt for years and enough to complain about it too!

Now, I'm headed over to the migraine group to read up on that!

teri

I do gentle stretching of my neck frequently at work. I take muscle relaxers for spasms. I see my osteopath every two weeks and she does wonderfully relaxing gentle manipulations of my neck that have done more for me than hours and hours of physical therapy and we talk about my fibro symptoms while she does it. I'm lucky, I think.