spasm / trapped nerve up one side of the back

[Carlos Rodriguez]

Has anyone here had a painful spasm in their back or trapped nerve that runs from the middle up to just below the shoulder? I've had this for over 4 months now and it hasn't responded to any treatment including physio and massage. The pain started a couple of weeks after I got sciatica but is now more painful than the leg and butt pain. After an MRI scan reported a prolapsed disc (at L5/S1) I'm pretty sure that this is the cause of the leg and butt pain but maybe not the back pain. I've been reading lots of threads and haven't found any herniated disc or sciatica sufferers who've reported similar spasms in the mid to upper back area.

I've also read that surgery on herniated discs can only (potentially) alleviate the leg and butt pain, but does nothing for back pain.

If anyone has had similar back spasms or trapped nerves, what did you do to treat it and were you successful?

 

[anna W]

It all depends on variety of things. Certain herniations and pathologies cause back pain, some cause leg pain, and some cause booth.

In big percentage of cases with only leg pain prior to surgery, traditional surgery like micro-discectomy will leave back pain as a unwanted result of surgery, and back pain is unfortunately very hard to treat.

Unfortunately I can't answer your other questions... Maybe someone else will be able to advise you.

 

[yheayuxximdixxeeb]

Ah pinched nerve! Try magnesium tablets. Lack of Mag can cause pinched nerves, irritable legs etc.
I know I mught sound nuts for what I am about to say but here it goes! If nothing seems to be helping it, forget about this pinched nerve. There are millions of other nerves that are not pinched focus on them instead! Withdraw your attention from it. It is revelling in your attention. Leave it alone it won't have enough energy to go for very long. Stop giving it your energy and relax
Loose and relaxed everything falls in place, pinched nerves and all!
Good luck with your nerves!

 

[Escape]

Hi

My back problems started with a burning pain just below shoulders which was a muscle spasm. Over several weeks of 'compensating' for that pain I developed aches and pains all over my back. I saw an Osteopath who released the muscle spasm, although I still tended to get lower back pain and ended up buying an Inversion table rather than seeing my Osteopath every week. The Inversion table is a great device and helped a lot.

Since then I have learned a lot about how our bodies function. You mention sciatica and lower back problems. Martin Haines (a well respected physio) does an excellent course on which involves a lot of detail on the causes of injuries. In them he explains that biomechanically the pelvis and the shoulders are 'linked' by a series of ligaments so problems that might cause misalignment in your pelvis can result in pain and problems as high as your shoulders. This may be the reason why physio and massage has not been that effective, they may be targeting the wrong areas.

Pete

 

[The Prodigy]

By way of analogy think of twisting a piece of string. After a few twists it will kink somewhere along its length. This kink is merely the expression of what is happening to the whole structure. Importantly, if you go to the kink and try to straighten it directly, you put more strain into the area, not less.

You have to deal with the whole pattern, and then - guess what - the kink takes care of itself.

Twist up the string some more and you'll end up with several kinks. These are clearly not seperate entities, yet when we turn back to the human body, the temptation is to see several problems as unrelated issues to be dealt with specifically, locally, and seperately - which is nonsense. At best this approach leads to de-coordination and a lowering of overall health - at worst new problems will pop-up almost as soon as the old ones are treated.

I would say from the basis of your various threads that you still haven't found the right practitioner - are you actually looking? Are you seeking reassurance that the medical route forwards is the way for you and that everything will be okay, or are you after other views and possible alternative solutions to the problem?

 

[Tomsdottir]

I guess I was hoping for some reassurance that my back pain is just part of the same problem. Its the logical conclusion. The spasm didn't start till after the sciatica developed. The pain is on the same side as the sciatica. And the pain is produced in exactly the same conditions as the sciatica - on standing or walking.

I know that deep tissue massage can be very effective in releasing trapped nerves, and I haven't given up on that yet (I've only had one session and it was just too painful so I asked the therapist to stop). But if the trapped nerve is caused by my spine problems (one prolapsed disc, another bulging disc) either directly or indirectly (muscle imbalance/ overcompensating for pain in one area, etc) then its just going to come back again even if I manage to release it.

These are questions I hope can be answered by an orthopaedic surgeon when I have my consultation but in the meantime, I'm just collecting as much information as possible.

I've tried many different treatments (conservative and alternative) over the last few months and so far nothing has got near the pain, and that is why I'm leaning towards the surgical route but I'm still not 100% convinced.

 

[wweqruylireiujehv]

Hi Jim

You may want to try a gentler modality to release muscle imbalance.

There are many options out there. I work with Bowen technique and Emmett technique - both have ways of releasing muscles and easing pain.

I see a lot of people with back pain and it is best to look at the body as a whole as others have mentioned in other posts.

You don't say where you are, but finding the right practitioner for you will make a big difference.

Best of luck with your decision making
Judith

 

[Steven S]

Yes, it is part of the same problem, of course it is, although it could easily have appeared in many other ways.

Seeing lots and lots of different therapists can make things worse, each may offer short-term relief but multiple uncoordinated inputs can create real confusion for the body on top of what it is dealing with already.

Furthermore simply addressing all the local manifestations is not the same as holistic. 'Holistic' doesn't mean doing everything, it means joining all the dots. Releasing all areas of tension risks breaking down your body's temporary 'scaffold' that is keeping things together through a crisis.

Somebody mentioned gentle, and I agree, though mainly because the situation is delicate and you do not want to force the body to change. It needs rest and support for what it is doing and somebody with a strong rationale who can see 'behind the problem'. The name of the therapy is not what matters, you need a practitioner who has a clear vision and can explain it to you.

You are not likely to get these kinds of answers from your surgeon, although if lucky you might. He is a specialist, and as such sees things in a very different way. I won't say that's wrong, all I would say is that 'alternative' doesn't mean 'medicine lite', it means beginnng with a different vision. If you're after more medical information then medical 'goggles' are needed - not many doctors here I'm afraid but there are other forums out there.

To find a good alternative practitioner ask friends, family and colleagues who they have been to for this and that. Then phone whoever they recommend and suss them out. The 'yellow pages' approach is a pin in the map, although you might get lucky, doesn't sound like you have so far.