Question
XRAYS
Hi I am really hoping you can give me some advice please.I am 44yrs old Female.Back in 2005
after physiotherapy which made the pain much worse and finally having a mri scan,it showed two protruding discs,wear & tear and I think they called it Osteophytes.The hospital said there was nothing they could do other than pain management.I had injection at lower spine this did help with pain but it only lasted two weeks.So then I was put on different pain tablets,none of which worked.Then I was put on Morphine tablets.These do help but with side effects,so I do not take all the time.In between all this time a few times I went back to hospital because I also started to get pain down my left leg right from buttock to foot.Was told it was ok and to carry on with pain meds and was given a tens machine to try,this does not help.
I then tried myself with acupuncture I had 16 sessions which did not help.I have spent a lot of money on different gadgets and creams claiming to work with no success.
I have just recently seen a Chiropractice she took xrays of which are attached.She has told me given the xrays and examination and past history that I have two slipped discs possibly three,she says this is the same as bulging discs,and I have a pinched nerve which is why my left leg and foot sometimes goes numb,at least twice a week and pain.She says I will need two treatments every wk for 6wks then once a wk for another 6wks and cannot miss any appointments.But can she really help,I can see maybe it will help with the pinched nerve but can it really put discs back where they should be?
I do not want to be skeptical, but in the past I have spent a lot of money with no improvement.The pain in lower back and the left leg and foot is now much worse.The whole thing effects every day life it seems the more I do the worse the pain is.Any advice will be much appreciated.Thank You
Regards
Wendy
Answerwendy,
i have sympathy for you. i understand your skepticism. Disc degeneration is permanent, as is osteophytes (arthritis). If you have a disc bulge it can be corrected over time. Disc herniations and disc degeneration is a permanent injury that cannot be reversed. The reason you have pain is because there is pressure on the nerve in your lower back. Bottom line you need to remove that pressure of the nerve. i think you should have seen a chiropractor way before you saw pain management specialist or acupuncturist. i see cases like yours everyday with good results. but, that doesn't always guarantee you will have the same results. It looks like to me that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. the care plan she put forth for you of 2x a week for 6 weeks and 1 x a week for 6 weeks is very conservative. i would have you start at 3x a week for the first two weeks then go to 2x a week. she is right in saying you cannot miss an appt. if you do you will be missing 50% of your care for that week.
2 things your chiropractor must do:
1.release your ilio-psoas muscle. it can be painful but extremely effective. its a muscle that can only be released in the front of your stomach about 2 inches lateral from your belly button (umbilicus) you will know if she is doing it. ask her to check your psoas muscle. pronounced (so-az).
it is the only muscle that connects onto the discs. yes, directly onto the disc.
2. you can try cold laser therapy over the area to speed up the healing process and reduce inflammation. It is new technology and should be available in UK. cold laser is a second resort or can be added to the chiropractic care for even better results.
