Question
My husband pulled/strained a muscle in his back on the left side about a year ago while moving an air conditioner.  For quite some time it seemed to have healed but now is getting worse.  His symptoms are:  chronic floating back pain in the thoracic area. the pain moved up and down and from side to side, but only on left side.  When the pain is fierce, he starts getting a metallic taste in his mouth that does not go away.  The pain feels like it radiates to the front of his chest. He gets tingling sensation from back up to face and from face down to foot.  He has difficulty sleeping because of the pressure on the affected area.
He has had a CT scan of spine, which showed a slight narrowing of the spinal cavity in the lumbar region and what looks to be like some bone growth off of L4/L5.  He was told he could be given a shot in the spine and see if it would alleviate the pain, but the doctor was not very optimistic.  He cannot have an MRI due to a piece of metal in his right eye, xrays have shown it is still present.  They talked about doing a myleogram, however my husband is allergic to shell fish.  They say that the dye is not the same anymore BUT he also has asthma which, even on prednisone, they decided procedure was too risky.  We are having a hard time getting anyone to think outside the box or do research.  They just throw their hands in the air and say I don't know.  Any suggestions?  The floating rib pain sounds like a possibility, but what about the taste in mouth?  Could it be the rib irritating an organ?

Answer
Hi Teresa,

With the information you have provided here, I do not believe this is purely a muscoloskeletal problem. At times a kidney problem can cause metallic taste in the mouth as well as back pain. I would have the doctors look into visceral and or systemic conditions and not a spinal condition. Once you rule those out, then you can come back to the spine.  Obviously my recommendation is based on what you have provided and without a full examination, I wouldn't be able to give you a comprehensive answer.

I hope this is helpful, as this would not be my specialty.

Dr. Nona Djavid
Wellness Choice
Founder

1101 Dove Street, Ste 270
Newport Beach, CA 92660
949.387.1333
949.387.3337 fax
www.WellnessChoiceCenter.com