Physical Therapists

7 Comments

• #1 by deadsqir on January 9, 2010 - 3:01 pm

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  I am a nursing student, but my real experience with this comes from my boyfriend. He just had spinal fusion and laminectomy done in September 2006. He is still experiencing pain like you describe. I am not sure what type of physical therapy you had, but he did aquatic therapy which really reduced the pain and helped to strengthen his back. Regular PT just seemed to cause additional pain. I know that from the area you listed (L4, L5, S1) that pain is consistent with injury or nerve compression to that area. Obviously you are seeing a doctor, so I would assume you have had an MRI done (if not get it ASAP). I think you probably already have the most appropriate medical advice, so hopefully the experiences of others can be helpful to you. My boyfriend had a herniated disc years ago and had debilitating pain afterwards. The doctor suggested bike riding to strengthen his back. He (my BF) swears by bike riding for pain reduction. However, this seems to have helped with some pain, and some it could not help. I think the overall theme in all that has helped in his pain reduction is strengthening the muscles. IF The muscles are strong it will help to keep things in proper alignment and put less compression on the nerves. Unfortuantely, sometimes if the compression is that bad it really needs surgical treatment. Well, I hope something in here can be helpful to you. I know how painful it is! Were the injections high dose cortocosteroids? According to my nursing book (Smeltzer & Bare) Textbook of Medical Surgical Nursing, Administration of high dose corticosteroids within 8 hours of injury has improved motor & sensory outcomes at 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year. So, maybe you need to stick with the injections if you have not tried them that long also. How are your reflexes? Do you have a normal neuro exam? Here is a website that looks filled with great resources http://www.makoa.org/sci.htm#gen Also, http://www.scihotline.org and http://www.spinalcord.org
  I am no expert and this is only my opinion in what may help; as with anything talk to your doctor about the different remedies and rehabs that you come across. They know your situation and know if it is safe for you to do certain exercises, etc… I hope these resouces will put you in the right direction for relief. Feel free to contact me deadsqirrl@yahoo.com if you have any other questions.

• #2 by mistify on January 9, 2010 - 5:52 pm

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  What type of physical therapy have you had? The aquatic therapy is also a good idea. I also recommend a therapist who has training in the MDT approach. While core stability and strengthening are a good idea, it will not alter the position of a bulging or herniated disc. The MDT approach uses specific exercsises to reduce the symptoms by changing the position of the disc.
  Stay away from Williams exercises and any exercises that cause the spine to flex (unless you’ve been diagnoses with degenerative spinal stenosis) such as the prayer strech, knees to chest and pelvic tilts until you have seen a therapist with MDT experience.
  If you fail with PT, however, other promising treatments include spinal decompression…although the long term benefits have not necessarily been proven to be more effective than other conservative treatments (short term benefits are very good).

• #3 by Anonymous on January 9, 2010 - 7:12 pm

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  could be a pinched nerve ?

• #4 by Xray F on January 9, 2010 - 9:16 pm

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  See the spine experts…The Chiropractor! If it is that bad then just call and make an appointment.

• #5 by Anonymous on January 9, 2010 - 11:08 pm

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  #1 did you have an MRI??
  If not get one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Also if not you could be doing more damage.
  I went through it PT . strength training, If your Dr. is willing to go to pt & injections especially of the spine I hope for your sake he has had a real clear viewing! (MRI) Mine lead to surgery and nerve damage. All to a DR> that felt I did not need a MRI at that time ,,, when his method failed I realized I needed to be more aggressive and get another opinion. But for me it was now dealing with the nerve damage ,, Please do your homework and find a good neuroligist. Mine was a disc that he said was budged, only to fined out that if I had an MRI he would of seen that the disc has splintered and small fragments were compressing the spinal cord. So now there is nothing left I am at my end an only option is chronic pain management. which has been hell ,, drugs, depressions it is an never ending circle!! Good Luck!!

• #6 by Rachel L 5555 on January 10, 2010 - 3:00 am

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  My husband tried all that. He had surgery, still has back pain but he pain in the butt and leg is gone. He is now seeing a pain doctor for chronic back pain. You should go see a good spinal surgeon, see if he can help. And DONT see a chiropracter, this is your spine, don’t mess around with it.

• #7 by Aunt Sally s on January 10, 2010 - 9:52 am

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  http://painrelieftips.blogspot.com/
  .If your pain persists after the healing process should be over, you might have what is called chronic pain. If the current treatment you are receiving stops working or your pain begins to get worse over time, your primary care doctor may suggest that you see a pain medicine doctor. For thousands of years, doctors have been helping to relieve their patients’ pain with a variety of medications and treatments. Like other areas of medicine, a new subset of doctors have become specialists in treating pain. They are focused on managing all types of pain – studying what causes it, how the body reacts to it, how different medications dull or eliminate the pain, and how other treatments can be used to relieve many painful conditions. Good luck dear.