Question
I am currently under the care of a physician whom I do not trust.  He did a nerve test on me and which ended up scoring me with a 48 on my left side and a 54 on my right side.  He stated that my nerves were damaged to the point that physical therapy would not help but surgery is not an option right now, after asking he pretty much stated I was in "limbo" and that medication was the only answer.  I do not believe that.  I do have pain in my left shoulder and my neck.  It does radiate down my left side, but mostly my neck and left arm are my main problem.  I am taking eight different medications and see no light at the end of the tunnel.  I am only 32 and I cannot foresee living with this pain.  I did see a chiropractor for a year and sometimes I would have to manipulated three times a day just for some type of reliefe.  Do you have any suggestions?

Answer
Sorry to hear of your situation.  I believe you should get a second opinion.  Without evaluating you myself and doing my own tests it difficult to give you a precise answer of what is going on, but it sounds like something a chiropractor can help with.  For what you are describing to me, the extent of your injury will take a while to correct.  It sounds to me like a "typical" disc bulge that impinging and is irritating those nerves you are having trouble with.  Your are correct about the medication also.  Even though it helps a little, it is not correcting the problem, and the medication can cause other problems the longer you take it.  I don't know what kind of chiropractic treatment you received before, but I am a member of a group that uses gentle traction and treatment to correct vertebral misalignments.  If you are interested, go to www.sorsi.com to locate a doctor near you.  If you are in Minnesota near the Twin Cities or if you have any other questions or concerns or need any clarification of medical advise that you are given, please email me.

Dr. Starbuck