21 with prolapsed discs... help

[summer bear]

hi all,
3 years ago (aged 18) i started having very bad knee pain... to the entent where the pain would become so bad in my left leg that i would fall... i suffered from numbness in my foot too... i went from doctor to doctor , had MRI scan on my knee but they couldnt find anything and i was told it was m age! i went back to my GP again who refered me to a different hospital to see a knee specialist who said the last thing he could do was send my for an MRI on my lower back so i had this done... a few days later i felt something in my back and couldnt move for the shear pain... from then i struggled for about 8 months walking, sitting, laying, driving, lifting, carrying, reaching etc all caused me agony... i was told that i have prolapsed discs that have worn away and they dont know why... my consultant was no help and said that it wasnt pressing on a nerve and so there was nothing they could do.... my pain has been unbearable... i ended up on dicofenac, 30mg codeine plus 500mg of paracetamol x 2 four times a day plus firstly tramadol but that made me ill and so i went on amitriptyline. i also had physio which i had to change my physio because she was of no help... the guy i had next was much better... since january ive been really well... i came off the codeine/paracetamol and amitriptyline and just used the diclofenac... i could still feel the pressure in my back and i hardly lift and am very careful with bending etc. however ive felt it building the last week or so... this weekend it "snapped" again... i was limping like mad the same horrible pain in my left leg and hip and i'm dying to get to the doctors in the morning....
to be honest i just dont know what to do.... i feel like i cant have a normal life... ive been "better" for 4 months at the most and it goes again... my GP has said im a prime candidate for the disc replacement surgery but he doesnt think the surgery is good enough yet but in the future it is good for me... ive had no info off my doctors or anything about this... ive just been given painkillers... i was offered an epidural but i was scared stiff and so put it off...( does anyone know if this really helps?) im scared to do stuff in case it makes it worse! the most exercise i get now is walking and even that after a while takes its toll... im a healthy weight etc and try to keep at that as i know extra weight is bad for the back...
i could just do with any advise.... ive read many of the pages and as much as i wouldnt wish this on anyone its a relief to see its not just me...

many thanks

 

[Dani Ludwig]

There are no simple answers but I will give you a start. Work on the things you can control and simple ideas like laying back on a swiss ball to allow vertabrae to relax and seperate creating space and a supporting bed. Your GP should be able to provide you with some exercises to strengthen the muscles around the spine and if you can see a good Osteopath that still does manual medicine, that can check you out he may have some good remedial ideas. The pain you are feeling is intense but in most cases is not damaging and mostly spasming muscles putting pressure on nerves, after a while you will develop some imunity, careful with all the drugs because it can create dependency. Be strong.

 

[Cordania]

Hi

Sorry to hear about your pain

It occurs to me, that as you start by saying you experienced Knee pain, which then moved to numbness in your leg etc. that you might have bio-mechanical imbalance which initially caused a knee problem, which your body compensated for by altering your posture which has then caused a back problem?

You say the second physio was helping to the extent that you were reducing your pain killers, are you still seeing him?

Either way I would try someone who might take a more holistic view, chiropractors and osteopaths are very good imo at looking at the whole body. Physiotherapists can be too of course. Specially if you mention the pain started in your knee. I'm also a firm believer in using some form of decompression (inversion table, Nubax trio, etc) on a regular basis ie twice a day is great for general back pain.

Exercises for a healthy back are a life time thing by the way, we all need strong backs to cope with the stress of sitting, lifting, bending etc and that means regular (2 or 3 times a week) quality exercise to strengthen core muscles so they can cope.

Hope that is of some help.
Pete

 

[chrissy4568]

hi, thanks for the replies
i no longer see the physio because my condition improved... my GP this morning he says its a relapse of the same disc and has put me back on my med and had upped my diclofenac dose for now... i'm to go back in a week when which it will hopefully have subsided again
my physio said that my muscles in my legs have degenerated because i have tried to protect my back subconsciously by walking and holding my body in a certain way. ive been given gentle exercises for this to help gradually build my muscles back up. i felt this was going quite well until now where i can feel myself slipping back into my old potective ways.... yeh sure i get less back pressure and pain but the pain in my knee and feet is unbearable i sometimes feel like my knee will snap. :S
i think if it continues i will be refered back to my physio but until then i am doing some research on ostepaths/chiropractor...
ive never done much research into the problem but many sites i have read say in the majority of cases the pain goes and the disc "gets better" after approx 6 weeks... however i suffered for at least 8 months AFTER diagnosis the last time and have only been ok for 4 months and its back...
whats the difference between a prolapsed disc and a prolapsed disc thats worn?
many thanks

 

[ZOOLOGY]

Hi,

I am so sorry to hear about your pain. Have a look at http://www.chirogeek.com/index.htm for information about the discs. My mri's and how the discs work etc made a lot more sense to me after reading this site.

You are so young to have this problem, you probably need to get tougher with the doctors too to get a second opinion about what can be done now. Epidurals just put off the pain and all too soon the situation returns.
Do watch out for the Diclofenac too as these drugs can have long term side effects.

Cassie x

 

[anne b]

Hi Vicky

When you stopped seeing the Physio did you stop doing the exercises he prescribed?

It takes about 4 to 6 weeks for the body to respond (ie get stronger) to exercise, so I would guess it will take months to rebuild the muscles in your legs to the point where the muscles are balanced and strong enough to reliably function painlessly to the demands of daily life. Similarly it takes time to strengthen your core muscles. Once there the exercise needs to continue to keep the strength and balance. The old saying 'use it or lose it' is so true.

Short term manipulation from Osteopath/Chiropractor can be hugely beneficial. Long term the body needs to be strong enough to deal with daily demands. Even sitting at a desk requires an extreme amount of muscular stamina in the core muscles just to maintain a good posture.

Pete

 

[Nicholas Tran]

Getting some deep tissue massage ( sports or remedial ) will help resolve engrained protective holding patterns and assist in a return to good posture by enhancing muscle function.

 

[JacksaSparwosaka]

Hi Vicky

Sorry to hear that you're in such discomfort.

When I had upper back pain about 10 years ago, I chose to go and see a chiropractor - my thinking: I had seen an osteopath regularly when in London and this had certainly helped. Couldn't find a conveniently situated osteo so opted for the local chiro - as in my untutored mind they were pretty similar. [I know, I know - I can hear disagreements starting up all over the place about that!]

Well, something had definitely changed in my conciousness and this time around, however much I tried to relax, I just couldn't let my muscles relax enough to take the manipulation [crunch] and came out a lot worse.

After three sessions ending up in tears of pain each time, I gave up and by coincidence a friend dragged me along to a Tai Chi class [she's the one who was wanting to go in the first place] and I found that this gentle exercise helped more than anything I had tried up until that point. Of course she dropped out after two weeks - 8 years later I was still going to class!

Later, this inspired me to go on to train in the gentle Australian techniques of Bowen and later again, Emmett. Their power to release tightly held muscles with just finger tip touch have been jaw dropping for me as a practitioner.

So having gone all around the houses in this answer, I guess the important thing would be to try different methods; certainly one method doesn't suit everyone. Certainly deep or heavy manipulation did not work for me at that time in my life - probably now that I'm a therapist myself I may be able to allow such work.

If you would like to try either of the techniques that I practise then do check the Bowen and Emmett websites or pm me if you would like to try to find someone in your area.

Best wishes for your recovery - it will come.

Judith