Dr. Timothy K. Durnin - 11/27/2007

Question
I jarred my back while being picked up in the air by a friend. When I was in the air I jarred to the right side while in the air. The next day I had sharp pain in the middle/low part of my back. This was back in Oct. I went to see a chiropractor because by the end of the week I was nausiated with pain and having head aches and visual disturbances. The vision and head ache problems have subsided. The chiropractor recommended I see my general Dr. because I was having increasing numbness and tingling down the front of my thighs to my knees while standing and sitting. I also have tingling that shoots down the legs to my toes when I lay flat at night. X-Rays were neg. for fractures. Thank God! Next step will be MRI if the pain persists. I am now in PT which he says it's definately T11-T12 pain with possible disc herniation. My question is should I see an Ortho or Neuro Doc. considering the weird sensations I'm still having. They come and go throughout the day. The pain is dead center on the bones. The muscle is fine and not real tender. So I'm not sure what to do next. I have two small children to care for and I worry about these symptoms which I don't want to become continuous or flat out worse/permanent. Just wondering if I should go ahead with the MRI and or see more of a specialist. Thank you so much, any info would be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Hi Jackie,

The present working diagnosis is spot on, the therapy is not. The DC you were seeing is obviously incapable of treating this. Get the MRI and find a DC that has flexion/distraction tables. Most Chiropractors have this specialized equipment just for this type of problem. The problem is going to a Chiropractor from a sub-standard school that leaves you to the demise of PT and invasive surgery. This is totally unnecessary, please Google flexion/distraction and read the research, efficacy and availability of this extremely inexpensive, safe, effective, painless procedure to resolve your present issue. I am very saddened to hear that your Chiropractor was that incompetent. If you need assistance finding one that has this equipment after looking yourself, let me know and I will be happy to find you one.


Good Luck!

Dr. Timothy Durnin