Question
My 91 year old mother has spinal stenosis with very severe pain.  She wakes up crying every morning just trying to get out of bed. We have tried the cortisone shots and they used to help but they don't anymore.  She takes 2 vicadin every 4 hours and is still in pain.  I can't stand to see her in this much pain.  Bless her heart, she gets up every day, gets dressed and puts on her makeup ready to greet the world.  We need some help to get her relief from this pain.  Would a chiropractor be able to help her?  What would you suggest we do for her?  Would a network chiropractor be helpful?   Thank you !

Answer
Hi Patti,
Wow, I can't imagine how your mom must feel with this pain, and can only guess the difficulty you have in watching feeling helpless. As for will chiropractic help, it might but to say without consulting with her and examining her I couldn't say. Because of her age it would be certain to know about her bone density, as well it would be likely that she will need x-rays. This information will shed some light on what may be going on. With regards to the cortisone injections - my experience with patients is similar to the success or lack thereof you have seen with your mom.  So, your next step would be to immediately have your mother examined by a chiropractor and and discuss arranging both an x-ray and bone density test for her then go from there.

I would very much like to hear your results from any examinations and tests to discuss with your further.  In the mean time do your very best to ensure that her diet is as good as possible.

Would you mind after reading this if you could rate my answer and consider nominating me as expert of the month please.

Please get back to me when you hear more news.

Best wishes,
Dr. Ron Nusbaum