Question
Hi Dr. Leatherman, im here for the first time. I am asian male,39, and had suffered from occasional seizures since the age of 21. Last February(06)i had a seizure that had caused a couple of my vertebras into compression fractures. The pain from it and also the muscle spasms is very gruesome. It didn't take long however for me to recover but few months later i had another seizure that put me in same agonizing pain but last took longer to recover. This year however, i again, suffered another seizure and i went to the ER and it still shows the old compression fractures. My question is, will these fractures heal? Im also having the muscle spasms that triggers a severe pain in my lower back. What can i do to relieve pain,not to mention heal it fast without doctor precriptions for the spasms and pain? I dont like to take precription drugs for pain due to my epileptic condition. When i lay down in bed or couch it feels good until i try to get up, thats when pain its at worst. Any advice?Im so afraid that the repetitive of seizures could parylize me for the rest of my life. Note, i am on a anti-seizure control(dilantin).  

Answer
Dear Allan,

Sorry to hear about all of this, you have had a tough road lately.  Now, the compression fractures that you have will never fully heal, and your spinal structure will be changed from this forever.  When the compression fractures were new, they could have been helped with a procedure called vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty. Basically, an interventional radiologist uses a needle to insert a small balloon into the fracture and pump it up to as close to normal as possible, then squeezes a cement type substance into the vertebra to stabilize it, when the fracture are severe, sometimes they use cadaver bone to fill the bone.  Anyway, it has been too long for this procedure, and maybe your fractures weren't severe enough to warrant the procedure.  Bottom line is that even though the bone may have healed, there will always be a loss of structure that cannot be replaced, and this will affect the muscular structure from now on.

The best advise I can give you at this point is to see a musculoskeletal specialist is soft tissue mobilization.  this would be a chiropractic physician who has post-doctoral training in specialized soft tissue mobilization such as graston technique or active release technique.  These two applications can produce significant results in increased function and pain reduction.  As a matter of fact, to be a treating doctor for the Ironman Triathalon you have to be certified in Active Release.  Anyway, check out these website for more information on the techniques as well as help in finding doctors in your area who have the advanced training.

www.grastontechnique.com
www.activerelease.com  

Spinal adjustments will help to reduce the pain associated with improper joint biomechanics, but I think you need to have the muscular component addressed as the primary component.

As far as the epilepsy is concerned, definitely stay on the dilantin, but you may also find that chiropractic manipulation of the neck will reduce the seizure frequency.  I have seen seizure patients respond very well to upper cervical and cranial manipulation.  As a matter of fact we had a 6 month old baby who was experiencing daily seizures for two months treated in our clinic and he became completely seizure free in two weeks with upper cervical and cranial bone manipulation...although children respond more favorably than do adults.  Just make sure that you do not alter your medication without tracking of your seizure frequency, duration and intensity, and the careful monitoring by the medical doctor who is managing your care.

Good Luck Allan.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net