I have found that chiropractic along with accupuncture and physiotherapy have done the trick.

 

Rick51. I'm a physical therapist and also live in Western PA. I've been practicing since 1999. Feel free to shoot me a PM and perhaps I can help. Obviously it'll be a little tedious doing it over e-mail, so perhaps we can exchange telephone numbers. Although I see that you are already seeing a PT, perhaps another PTs perspective may help even more.

 

I am a big guy, and work has me bending at the waist for the entire 10 hr shift. A year ago, I broke down and went to a doctor. I have tried just about every muscle relaxer known, plus Hydrocodone. The muscle relaxers only put me to sleep, and I can not function on them for the 3x a day I am suppose to take them. I take 30mg of Hydrocodone. 10mg 3x a day. For the last year, that has been the deal. Tried PT, and still do it. Chiropractor, for a bit, but the doctor advised me to stop going. He has told me it is a chronic problem, and most likely will not go away. Oh well. I might be trying that accupuncture, at some point. Funny thing is, riding the bike is the only thing that really makes me feel good. Once I get off, I am in all kinds of pain, but when I am on the bike, the pain seems to go away.

 

PapaTravis.........I had the same thing. I could ride and feel no pain, but standing and walking was in pain. I'm 47...6'5" and 250 lbs. Original injury in 1992 while playing golf, herniated a disk between L4 and L5. For 12 years after initially having a chiropractor relieve the pain within a month after the injury, I went for monthly maintenace adjustments until about 2 years ago when I threw my back out again, this time bulging the disk between L5 and S1. Now I have two disks bulging and the ones above it are degenerating. It sucks getting older. I excercise riding my bicycle and do yoga stretching exercises 2-3 times a week as well as some excercises I learned in PT. I read somewhere that eventually the inflamation will subside from the injured disk of which it used to take only about 2 weeks for me. When it didn't go away after a year, I consulted with a surgeon who pioneered a procedure called the X-Stop. It's a wedge like titanium device inserted between the vertibra to relieve pressure on the disk. He suggested I try the epidural/steriod injectionsfrom a local pain clinic first, since the X-Stop will not eliminate the lower back pain.The surgerywill help people that have other problems such as leg function or bladder control issues. After 4 weeks in PT prior to the injection procedure, the pain clinic gave me a series of two injections, two weeks apart. I felt an 80% improvement from the first injection and still felt the same results after the second. After a month it even got better. I'm able to walk straight again without pain and do things I couldn't do for the last couple years. I've spoken to people who after 5 years are still pain free after having the epidural done.

 

Dont take the drugs, had similar problem, turns out the docs said I broke some discs back in my youth, probably falling from a cliff in the army. Just get the MRI and operation done, not worth the pain and quality of life damage to you and everyone around you. Dont wait, best move I ever made, hurt from my left nut doen to the top of my left foot for two years.

 

I have found that a DO is better at this sort of thing than an MD.
Yoga works. I'm getting older and I need more mantenance.
I haven't carried a wallet in my back pocket in twenty years.
" A doctors job is to save a patient from his own excess and vise"

 

Get a MRI and have it evaluated by a neurosurgeon. X-rays only show bones, though a vertabraalignment difference from left to right could be an indicator of a disc problem - but not a very accurate one. I suffered with sciatic nerve problems for three weeks while I worked with anMD and chiropracter. It was the worst pain I've experienced. My back never hurt, but I had pain from my hip to the tip of my toe, and my foot flopped when I walked. The MRI revealed a massive rupture and surgery three days later fixed the problem. I was worrisome hearing that I needed back surgery; however, I had the surgery at 1:00 and walked out of the hospital at 7:00 that same day. I have some occasional stiffness in my lower back that I didn't have before the surgery and find that if I walk or use an elipical machine regulary I'm not bothered much by it. Good luck in determining and dealing with your problem.

 

I am 6'4" and about 240lbs. I second (or fifth) the others in that you should get an MRI. I tore ligements and compressed disks while playing with an 8 foot slatge pool table on a fight of stairs when I was 24. It took me close to two years to see a chiropractor and now I wonder how I managed without one.

I am 50 now, and while I still see my chiropractor it is very infrequently. No surgery anddrugs have never had any effect on my back. Only good professional manipulation and exercise (and I don't exercise much).

The MRI is key - let your doctor look at it, and let your chiropractor look at it (if he does not know how, get another chiro.)

I am all for not getting cut until ALL other choices have been exhausted. I now have very little pain anywhere, unless self induced .

...gene

(NOTE: 50% of all doctors graduated in the lower half of thier class)

 

Thanks for all the great support guys. I have an MRI scheduled for week after next. I'll see what happens.

 

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