Question
Hello. Well, I came to Canada to visit mom and help her recover from a hysterectomy. However, I found out she's fine from the surgery but suffering a lot because of her back. Three years ago she fell over her little finger, and then went to countless bad massagers and chiropractors who have been worsening her situation. Now I'm worried about her cause she has been massaging herself for two weeks now and her back is all bruised cause she does that day and night. She says it hurts less and less, she affirms she's putting her back muscles straight and fixing what chiropractors did wrong... my question: Is it possible for a person to fix their own back? Is she at risk? What kind of specialist should she consult? The doctor keeps saying everything is ok cause she's taken tests, X-rays and nothing appears to be wrong. However, I can see she's in pain. I'm desperate... she can't sleep well, she isn't hungry, she's just massaging her back all day... sometimes she shows me her arm is all swollen cause a muscle is pulling it... then she fixes it and the next day is something else... it seems this will never end... please, help me...  

Answer
Dear Edith,

Sorry to hear about the difficulties your mother is having. I am finding it hard to believe though that she has seen multiple chiropractors and massage therapists who all have not been able to help her out, and that she thinks massaging her own back is alleviating the problem.  Although possible, it's not a logical explanation. Moreover, all chiropractic techniques are designed not to injure, and never place the body in an anatomical position that would cause additional problems. I wonder has she even even been given a diagnosis for her problem? Even if there is nothing on the x-rays, structures can be damaged in the soft tissue that result in significant amounts of pain.  These are the questions that need to be answered.

It is likely that if your mother has been in pain for awhile that chronic pain mechanism has been set in place which is the source of her continuing pain.  If so, then this is difficult to break but possible with active care such as stretching and deep tissue techniques...it is important to remain as active as possible in this scenario as lying around or becoming sedentary actually reinforces the chronic pain mechanism. You also need to realize that there may be a psychological part of the problem.  I do not what to imply that she is faking or exaggerating her pain, but the experience of pain will affect the perception of it, thereby increasing it's effect.  This may need to be handled with counseling, or biofeedback techniques for the best resolution.

Lastly, From what you have presented this is more of a functional problem than anything else and should be able to improve with rehab techniques. There is an author by the name of Pete Egoscue who has spent years researching and studying the Antony of the body and its relationship to pain and dysfunction.  He has simple exercise protocols, some of which I actually use on my patients, that significantly help to reduce pain and improve function.  I would suggest that you or your mother buy a few of his books and read them.  You will be supervised at the ease and clarity of the information presented as well as the application to help alleviate her pain levels. Give it a try, the books are inexpensive and easy to read.  good Luck.

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