Joe A Shaw PA-C - 12/19/2011

Question

back   Dear Mr Joe how are you ? i am Rasha a dentist but staying home mom for now, standing in the kitchen most of the time (standing in wrong posture ) , carrying my 20 pound boy using my left hand , for almost a year and stopped exercising since i delivered my baby , so the normal result is suffering of my middle left back , i don't feel pain just a burning sensation when i stand for a long period of time and a lost of sensing heat or cold , rough or soft touching on my left middle back ( attached photo), so as a treatment i rest for longer time ,using heat and cold pads ,starting to exercise my back by lifting weights , having anti inflammatory medicine once a day for almost two weeks now , the result is dramatic decreasing of frequency of the burning sensation ,strong back , but the problem is still this lost of sensation , so what do you think is going on with me am i going to heal or should i do MRI scan ? for checking ? thank you in advanced for your reply ..

Answer
I would get xrays just to check spine etc., sounds like overuseagestrain of back muscles with standing and carrying child. Maybe physical therapy or massage would help that area,it would help break up scar tissue or inflammation there. There is something called DISH syndrome that sometimes gives some of the symptoms your having.
http://www.medicinenet.com/diffuse_idiopathic_skeletal_hyperostosis/article.htm
Of course if not getting better than MRI would be in order