Going to pain clinic for severe back pain (MRI, fracture, high pain)

[qlty]

I have had lower back pain for several years but now its very bad I have to take pain pills every day.I just had a CT Scan ordered by a Dr. and have an appointment at a pain clinic and I am wondering what they might do for me??The CT Scan with no contrast results states there is no acute fracture,subluxation or dislocation.the lumbar vertebrae are normal in stature and alignment and it goes on .Has anyone gone tru this? Should I let them give me shots?I don't want any surgery but I want to stop taking pain Rx s.TIA for any help or info.

[tyvin]

The pain clinics are there for people who need pain meds (usually long term). They will more then likely ask you to have steroid shots in the back. Steroids may not be opiates but they have their own side effects that can be severe in some cases if taken long term. The pain clinics try to capitalize on non-opiate treatments. You are smart to want to get off of opiates.

If I were you I would ask for an MRI of the spine. Years ago I had a similar pain issue as yourself. They did the CT scans and all that and it showed nothing. Finally at the last moment a new doc ordered an MRI. Long story short, the MRI picked up a fracture that didn't show up on the CT scan.

Good luck to you

[ToucheGA]

My wife has been seeing a pain specialist for many years. For a while, she was getting trigger point injections (perhaps 1-2 per year) in her lower back, along with pain medication. The injections helped a great deal, and she is no longer taking the pain medication.

A pain doctor should offer a few alternatives to medication. I would at least try whatever he/she has to offer. It's impossible to know if it will work, before you try.

Good luck!

[LittleDolphin]

Please see a chiropractor or rehab specialist who specializes in McKenzie exercises. They have helped many with chronic or acute back pain.

McKenzie Exercises | Spinal Decompression Therapy


McKenzie Exercises (Rare Added Posture Features) - YouTube

Does McKenzie Therapy Improve Outcomes for Back Pain?

[kronenborg]

depending on the pain meds you are on, not only can they cause problems such as addiction, and be associated with their own side effects, but overusing or taking certain pain medications on more than a set amount of days per month can, in itself, be a cause of pain - this is classically seen in headache, but can be seen with other types of chronic pain (e.g. low back pain).

the key to your management will be to determine the root cause of your pain, which has not been revealed from the imaging results you provide. treatment should be aimed at the underlying pathology.

[qlty]

I am the OP I went and the Dr told me I could get a Epidermal it would have a 50/50 chance of giving me relief and would not be a lasting cure and how long relief would be would be ???? so I said No thanks.

[kevxu]

Originally Posted by kronenborg

...the key to your management will be to determine the root cause of your pain, which has not been revealed from the imaging results you provide. treatment should be aimed at the underlying pathology.

Amen. An MRI sounds like it would be a very wise idea.

As someone who was plagued with a progressively deteriorating spine since the very early 1970's, and who at age seventy-five is now able to walk again and is relatively pain-free, I would advise the following (in addition to what kronenborg as said above.):

1. Keep searching for the source before settling into pain management. I am not at all opposed to pain management, but the routine and long-term use of painkillers certainly can result in its own problems. I know, I have been there.

2. Be very wary of being rushed into chiropractic treatments by enthusiastic fans or over-eager practitioners. You can sustain serious damage to your spine and your life unless there is a thorough knowlege of what is going on in your spine or nervous system. I tried chiropractic in New York City where there was a very wide choice, and I ran into some incredibly over-confident practitioners convinced that they were the possessors of infallible knowlege and skill. They weren't.

3. Without a knowledge of what is the problem, approach any exercise program with extreme caution and not before consulting your physician.

4. Give amateurs with miracle-cure advice a wide berth. Your spine is of far more importance than the ego of a know-it-all.

[lubby]

My husband has 2 herniated discs and degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis (he's 40) He tried pain pills but it made him dopey and dilusional, he did physical therapy and it did nothing. He started using a chiropractor 3 years ago and it has had amazing results. He went from going 3 times a week to once a month. He did see a neurologist who wanted to give him shots in his back and he flat out said "NO WAY"! He still has back pain on occasion and did have a recent spasam due to the snow shoveling from the recent blizzard that LI had. At one point before he saw the chiropractor he was out of work 2 weeks, hunched over and in terrible pain. He is alot better now. The docotr also told him he needs to loose weight because that will also help his back.

[TRosa]

Originally Posted by qlty

I am the OP I went and the Dr told me I could get a Epidermal it would have a 50/50 chance of giving me relief and would not be a lasting cure and how long relief would be would be ???? so I said No thanks.

I have had the trigger point (facet,)injections, epidural, and most recently concerning the back, radiofrequency lesioning on left and right side. No lasting results on my left side from any of the procedures. All it takes if for me to make one wrong move or if I carry an item that's just a little too heavy, I can be knocked out of commission for days. Very frustrating to say the least. I've also tried aquatic exercises, but for some reason that exacerbates the pain in my lower right side.

I've refused the drug solution, as I am not fond of that junkie jonesing look I see on some people faces that take too much of these types of pharmacuticles. I'm not interested in becoming addicted to opiates, but I am considering some alternative medicine the doctor mentioned to me last time I visited, I dismissed him on it, but after my last back episode a week ago, I am thinking I just don't think I can sit through another episode like that again with a fast solution. I'm kind of getting tired of having to be out of commission so often of late.

I'm not someone that gives into pain easily, it took years of just mentally shutting out the pain before I got to this place of being shut down by it before taking drastic measures. Normally, I have a high pain tolerance, but when the back locks up and you are lucky if you can crawl or afraid if you move your lips, you might rip your side open, you know it's time to seek help. On top of the back, I get regular hip and shoulder shots for arthritis and bursitis in those areas. Sigh. But hey, I still have a some very good days out of most months.