Advice on annular tear and mri results

[Magrego]

Hi I am new to this forum mainly because I am new to chronic back pain but I am scared and in need of some advice if possible

I am 28 years old who needs to sit at a computer 10 hours a day for work and have recently had an MRI on my upper cervical spine which revealed c4/5 posterior annular tear. c5/6 disc protrusion and some prominence of the central canal. The central canal of the spinal cord at c1 and c/2, at t1/2 the canal measuring up to 1.5mm in size. this is unlikely to be of significance the mri report says. c5/6 the disc is narrowed, there is a posterior central disc protrusion with a slightly greater left paramedian component with no focal cord or verve root compression. c6/7 discs are normal
I also found out they have had no tests on my lower back which I was also experiencing pain. The specialist did not believe there was anything wrong with me at first. I am now not working and quality of life is really bad.

I have had 3 car accidents in my life, a guy grabbed and squeezed my neck at work (which gave me stiff neck) this neck pain and stiffness has reoccurred in the last 3 years all the time but getting much worse. I have also had a big fall on my back which I did not feel anything but a slight pain in my shoulder blade area. I have had a lot of accidents in my life and bad posture. I FINALLY had a mri last month to find problems that I have not been told much about my condition except it is chronic. I love working as it is my passion but cannot sit at a desk.

After my MRI the specialist told me to see a physio andi may not need surgery. In the last few weeks I have seen him 3 times a week. He has been performing some sliding and pushing on the joints on my upper neck(ultra sound etc.) and also showing me exercise to strengthen my upper neck. In the first couple of physio treatments I have noticed a significant increase of pain in my spine and lower back. I now get tingles and cant even sit down for longer than 5 minutes (before i could sit for a long time) which is destroying me now. I have seen the physio and he said it is a little more complicated than first thought and has started working on my lower back now. I am just hoping he is not making my back worse and what are your thoughts? as I have more pain now in my spine and sometimes feel like I have been cut open which was not the case before. I just had stiffness and soreness. My back also seemed week before hand. So maybe this is a part of getting better but I cannot do anything now. before the physio I could at least sit down or is it possible it was going to get worse anyway although I have lived like this for years. I could even do weights 1 month ago before the mri with no real pain but now I cannot even lift a peanut without being scared. Is this all a part of getting better through a recommended Physio Therapist?

thanks in advance Magrego

[dshobbies]

Hi Magrego and welcome to the forum,

I'm sorry for you spinal problems but honestly, that's why we're all here. In addition to your cervical problems, it also sounds like you have lumbar issues. Is there a reason your doctor discounted this area?

I know we all like to think our doctors are G-d and we want to believe everything they tell us but different doctors have different strengths. You didn't mention where you live which is important if you want any recommendations but at this point, it would seem in your best interest to obtain a second (or more) opinion as well as an MRI of your lumbar spine. Similarly, if your physical therapy is producing more pain than relief, it's time to find another one. Personally, I had a chiropractor and physical therapist that absolutely made my condition worse. I also had a doctor who was a great surgeon but who failed to inform me of failure rates or alternative treatments. He knew I was not a good candidate for a second surgery but...

You should also know - sometimes doctors claim your condition couldn't result in your pain symptoms. Keep looking, you are in pain and there's a reason. Should surgery become a recommendation, research carefully.

Financial circumstances and/or insurance companies are also usually an issue.

So - find another doctor, find another p/t, get a lumbar MRI and if it hurts, don't do it!

Good luck to you and keep us posted. We are interested and want to help, Dale

[Maria]

Welcome to the forum and sorry you've problems like most of us here!

re the physio I don't do what makes me feel worse however sometimes anything will aggravate a tear or bulge to the point of feeling much worse. I learned over the many years of back pain to try and know when to rest and when to try something else.

Have you tried a Toradol injection for muscle spasms? That much might give a bit of relief and it's only a non steroidal antiinflammatory injection. Not the oral drug tho the injection has been helpful to me to reduce spasms/acute pain in both my neck and low back. I learned this of course after 2 back surgeries and many bouts of PT, drugs, lumbar epidurals and so forth.

I have also learned that I believe me more than what someone tells me I should feel be it a doctor, surgeon, PT or whomever. I mean when we're really scared we don't know what to believe tho you know how you're doing with whatever is going on when it comes to what makes you feel worse and what doesn't.

I have found the following website very helpful as a resource: ChiroGeek's Home Page

re sitting.. couldn't do it for years so my last job was as a telephonic triage nurse/advice nurse and I had a standing station with a very thick mat on the floor where I'd stand (shoeless tho some good supportive shoes would have probably been helpful). At least I was able to stay at work an additional 5 years that way before I retired on disability tho I did have alot of pain tho not nearly as bad as if I tried to sit.

I think what might have helped me would have been to try lumbar ESIs earlier as well as pain meds. Maybe surgery tho I didn't want to go there again.

It wouldn't hurt to consult with several doctors and maybe to stop the physio if you think it's creating more pain than helping you at all. Sometimes it does start out that way and sometimes it's just too much and you have to find what works for you no matter what anyone else tells you will work for you in terms of exercise and strengthening. I found core strengthening using the stability ball easier on my back than anything else tho couldn't ride the bike, use the stairmaster, or treadmill and do a bunch of other things in regular PT.

Good luck and hang in there.

[Magrego]

Thanks for the comments it is greatly appreciated. I have made major progress in my lower back as I can sit in my car for a while without getting sore. I think I am making real progress in this area with strengthening exercises. I will get a second opinion as well but will continue my physio to see if it is just from lying down all the time although I found it difficult to sleep. I don't mean to sound like a whiner and I have total respect for anyone who has to put up with this crap and I guess to stay positive is the key although it is hard sometimes when you cant do much except wait.

I guess with some more physio I am hoping to see some real progress in my pain although this is not the case yet. One thing I can say is my range of movement is much better. I was mainly concerned with the sliding of the joints and pushing down although these areas seem less sensitive from when was first pushing and sliding them although I do get more sharp pain a few days later. Maybe this is the healing process and will hang in there for a little longer too see. Although the physio seems really good and knows what is talking about and was recommended by my specialist I was just concerned because I have never felt pain like this in my life and I am sure you guys know this. I will keep you guys updated and really wish you guys the best with your own injuries to get better as soon as possible and to be pain free.

I think the problem with back injuries is there are too many people who fake it and makes us look like we fake it so they tend to not believe you which is a shame. even with MRI report my gp was saying I was taking her for a ride so I have a new GP that understands . All i can say is I think it is the annual tear that hurts from what I have read. It seems to throw pain all around my body in different places which must make it difficult to solve and pin point. In Sydney AUstralia

Kind regards Magrego

[mmglobal]

Not only are there some people who a gaming the system, but there is also a VERY wide variance of what shows on imaging vs. severity o symptoms. There are people with MUCH, MUCH worse looking imaging, but little or no symptoms. So when the docs see someone with relatively benign looking imaging but moderate or severe symptoms, they tend to be dismissive.

Believe it or not, in many cases they are doing us a favor. One of the reasons they pass on the confusing cases is because they have bad experiences doing surgeries that don't have positive outcomes.

Spine sucks...

Mark

[Magrego]

It sure does suck because my symptoms are much worse now since trying to treat my back. I spoke too soon my legs are all numb and tingly now after teatment I also just went to do my physio and it felt like it teared or pulled or something again in the same spot in my lower back when moving into my next excercise carefully. Not sure to keep doing physio cos it felt like it was working.

[Maria]

That the physio is working for strengthening and range of motion and so forth tho that does't mean that at the same time the annular tear or disc bulge or whatever can worsen and/or just become aggravated temporarily ( I call acute episodes "flare ups" vs. the more chronic pain). Sometimes these things just happen even if you don't do anything or it seems like we're not doing anything just activiites of daily living.

What I used to do is if I felt worse or had a flare up I'd take it easy for a few days or not go to my PT so as not to further exaccerbate symptoms. Each to his or her own of course so do what you think is right for you.

Do check out that link I put in previous post if you'd like to understand a bit more about the nature of some very common spine problems such as annular tear.

Yes, it's a drag to have pain and spine probs and living with it can take some adaptation however as you mentioned keeping a positive attitude is helpful. Even tho I did plenty of "freaking out" I know that wasn't too helpful tho was difficult not to while I was working (and missing work due to back pain/probs).

Good luck~try to ride out the flareup by taking it easy. Not sure what helps you re ice/heat/ restful positions, muscle relaxers, and so forth tho try whatever does and very glad you found a GP that believes you!

[Magrego]

yeh I freaked out when my friend bought me 2 beers it must make me worse to be honest. I thought I couldn't walk at one stage i freaking out the first flair up I couldn't sit down for 5 mins. I didn't even know flair ups was a part of getting better but I have had them for over a week now. If this is a part of getting better I dont care about pain to be honest as long as it doesn't last like this forever being an architect I need to sit down and draw on pc. So are flair ups sharper pains in your neck and back? it is all i worry bout because it was no where like this before and I have no cover and can't afford this already

thanks heaps for the advice I will try to read some more on the site you posted. So do you think a chiropractor could be best to try instead of PT? I have second opinion on Saturday just to give me peace of mind.

[Maria]

I worked with osteopathic doctors (D.O. doctor of osteopathic medicine) and when my back was at it's worst before I had any surgery I only let osteopaths do soft tissue manipulation (sort of like stretching) on me and NOT high velocity (like crunching).

My pain was in my low back only for many years. I injured myself when I was 28 transferring a patient from a gurney to a post op bed (RN). At the time the CT scan revealed 3 bulging discs tho later thru the years prior to my first low back surgery in '89 MRIs revealed annular tear at L3 and disc bulges at L4 and L5S1.

So until about 1998 or so I had symptoms only in my low back. After this period I started having some cervical symptoms. I have DDD in my lumbar and cervical spine and remaining disc bulge at L4 and annular tear at L3 and L5S1 finally autofused on it's own after many years. I have a disc bulge at C5/6 and DDD in 3 cervical vertebrae.

My back and neck now trade off re painful flare ups and episodes. I don't think flare ups mean one is getting better actually and for me I've generally come to believe it is disc material leaking out on a nerve creating nerve pain and muscle spasms or could be the other way 'round.

It's just a matter of how debilitated I was with my pain, how often my back went out back when I was working, how long I was out of work or in bed recovering and so forth that lead me to a surgical solution.

Re seeing a Chiropractor.. personally during an acute flare up I never let anyone touch me as I couldn't even get out of bed. Though lately I've found if I can make my way to an Urgent Care center, GP or Pain Management office that an injection of Toradol 60mg Intramuscularly helps me tremendously with alleviation of pain from muscle spasms.

I think the "unknown" re the spine makes anyone freak out and then take away our ability to make a living ... that's very scary. I had gone so long working with pain and probs I finally had to stop working and applied for what we call here in the states Social Security Disability and Long Term Disability from my current employer. However this was 20 years after my original injury and after 2 spine surgeries with a latter one that failed in '92 actually making me worse off.

Currently while I still think that spine surgery is a gamble of sorts I do think there are more options out there and some very highly skilled surgeons should one come to the conclusion that surgery is a must.

If you can see one of your doctors and ask for a shot of Toradol however that might be something that will help break you out of the pain cycle. Maybe if you're not already taking some oral muscle relaxers you could benefit by them and ??? not sure what else you're doing re your flare ups.

A few glasses of wine seems to help relax me when I'm really bad off as well at least enough to sleep tho I best be in a good position for sleep with cervical pillow around my neck and back in a decent position as to fall sleep in semi drunken stupor with bod all over the place can bring on a heap more of back/neck pain!! oops of course I must include the disclaimer about mixing drugs and alcohol being a "no no".. don't do as I do.. do as I say (or so the saying goes?) take care!!!

[Magrego]

Yes it is scarey to not have a career when i only just finished my degree with no savings. I am very sorry to hear that surgery had made it worse and you live like this for the last 20 years or more. Could you sit down for long? i noticed if i dont sit down for a couple of days it does get better. Then if i sit down again I can last a little longer but it does come back very fast. Sitting down gives me flair ups. any suggestions because I really like to sit down I cant even take my girl out for dinner now

I will try my best to get fixed but am starting to face I am going to have to try to live the best I can for now. I honestly dont know who would employ me now but hey thats another bowl of fish and might start working standing up. I might set up a workstation with my screen on the wall I would never give up my passion thats for sure hehe hope they bring out programmable matter very soon so i wont need to work on a pc lol

Thanks again for the advice

[mmglobal]

Magrego... sorry about all your troubles. I had a client with no chair in her office. she had a standing workstation for years.

Finding restaurants with standing workstations may be tough... I hope she's understanding!

Alll the best,

mark

[Magrego]

I noticed you said 'My back and neck now trade off re painful flare ups and episodes. I don't think flare ups mean one is getting better actually and for me I've generally come to believe it is disc material leaking out on a nerve creating nerve pain and muscle spasms or could be the other way 'round. '

I actually believe this true as I read this before. I was much better off before physio. Will this leaking stop as i have never experienced this pain before.

and what do you mean by 'it could be the other way around? also My tear must not have leaked previously and now it has. anyway I will have a second opinion tomorrow off a really trustworthy gp who attends seminars etc. I will fill you in on what he says if I understand

[Magrego]

yeh my girlfriend is understanding and we even share a single bed with my back lol I squash her against the wall now so she is pretty understanding she has also paid for my medical amazing considering I told her she does not have to stay with me anymore cause I don't want to hold her back in life. she also puts up with my complaining which I havn't really done before this experience so I am great full. I could write a whole essay on how good my girlfriend is but you get the point.

I was also wondering about this workstation. was she using a computer screen on the wall? I was thinking of doing this because I miss my architecture . I can sketch by hand but I love to 3d model realistic images also. I was actually learning the program they use to make Iron man 2 called modo. I might have a look around for a standing work station to keep me sane instead of lying in this bed I find standing feels even better than lying down because the pain gets worse when lying down too. anyway I will tell you what the doc recommended. I am sure he will send me to another specialist. He cares a lot about his patients I heard from my friend. This doctor doesn't usually see any new patients because he is so busy, so i am lucky my friend spoke to him for me I will ask about those shots because the painkillers arnt working anymore

I feel I have learnt a lot from this forum. Thanks again and all the best to find relief from your own injuries.

[Maria]

There are many modified type of stations on the market tho I just put my monitor up on a box and keyboard on the desk until the company I worked for paid for a standing station. As I said I worked that way for the last 5 years I was employed.

I avoided sitting for years because after my 2nd back surgery which failed that position was the most uncomfortable and seemed to bring about acute flare ups. And actually the pain was just chronically bad and sitting hurt like hell.

Lately tho since about 2005/6 I've done better and supposedly I've autofused at L5S1. Another thing that helped me in the interim is when I started lumbar epidural steroid injections back in 2001. I could sit after I'd get one of those tho the duration is only for about an hour.

Re leaking disc material causing muscle spasms.. or for whatever reason like too much sitting or bad spinal positioning creating muscle spasms and then maybe that tweaking the disc by all the spasming tho I usually think it tends to be the other way 'round. Not sure which is first sometimes tho...

Be glad you have an understanding gf as that is quite nice. She must really love you so don't tell her to go away! Altho I know what you mean about not wanting to hold her back ... it's the kind of stuff that runs thru our heads when we're all messed up and feel so limited and self worth is diminished.

Dine in the bar part of a restaurant where the seats are higher and one can stand while still being at a table or counter! There are solutions for near everything as long as you can get yourself out of the house!

Ask me how I manage to fly...

[dshobbies]

Magrego,

Forgive me if you think I'm overstepping here or reading wrong between the lines. As I see it, you're living with disabling pain but you seem reluctant to 'find your cure' if there is such a thing.

You're very young and living this way is a waste of your time and life. Getting another opinion from a gp is not the same thing as a specialist who knows spines and can definitively tell you what is going on and give you a plan to fix it (unless this step is necessary for insurance reasons).

Chiropractic will more than likely make you much worse unless he's a DDD or herniated disc specialist but even then, I'd be very weary.

I'm not a doctor and have absolutely no medical expertise but... the tingling and or numbness you feel is/are probably nerves protesting something touching your spinal cord, regardless of the cause. This should be given priority. Nerve damage is unpredictible and can become permanant. I'm also not suggesting surgery is your only option but if necessary, most of us have one shot to get it right so choosing your doctor carefully is the highest priority.

To show you what can go wrong, my chiro put me into an emergency surgery situation. My highly respected neuro surgeon offered no options in my surgery and only post surgery did he tell me the downfalls... and never explained the risks involved with my second surgery.

Magrego, I realize my words are scary and that's not my intent but you do need to take charge of your care. You need to educate yourself in exactly what's going on both in your lumbar and cervical spines and find out the possible effective treatments for both. You either need to find the absolute best doctors in your area or like many of us, travel to those who are tried and true.

Mark basically told me the same things but over the course of several phone conversations instead of bluntly on a forum page. Please feel free to call Mark - GPN Artificial Disc Replacement ADR but please take control by learning as much as you can. Suffering in this much pain and this disabled is not the way to live, not if you can do something about it. Whether you want the postion or not, you are your own best advocate.

Again, my apologies if I said more than I should have.

Dale

[Maria]

I definately agree w/Dale re checking out your options. I had a very good GP that referred me to a Neurosurgeon when I felt like I could no longer function as I was altho I must admit I would have used an Orthopedic surgeon perhaps if I had known a bit more about options at the time.

I also agree re the chiro tho I didn't put it like Dale that was more or less what I meant by I wouldn't have utilized one re my spine. Not to say there are great chiros out there tho it's best to know if you have something that would be made worse by chiropractic treatment vs. better.

Since you stated you have an annular tear I thought you had already seen a specialist who referred you to the physiotherapy to see how that worked for you. Even so if you've seen one specialist I generally recommend seeing a few esp. if surgery is being recommended tho even if not and you might want to know what other options you might have in terms of types of surgery to hopefully resolve your problem.

Good luck with all that. You are young and while you may be able to live as you are if it were me and my limitations interfered with my working I'd be wondering about surgical options (as I was and did). Ditto on contacting Mark as he has helped many of us here me included!

I don't think Dale was too blunt. Sounded helpful to me in a direct way.

[Magrego]

Well i did see a orthopedic surgeon who overlooked my lower back where all the pain is now. I cannot get in to see anyone unless I get referral from specialists which I am trying with this new gp. I am not covered by any medical which means I pay over 100 dollars to see specialist not to mention the $80 I pay 3 times a week for physio. I am borrowing money to see the new gp today. I get under $200 dollars a week from disability so
i can hardly afford to buy toothpaste. If I go public health system I will not get good doctors so i need to pay each time. For me at the moment I can hardly drive to see anyone so my friend is driving me today so I can see his doctor so he can send me to a specialist he trusts. I dunno but at the moment I have paid more than I can afford and is probably the main issue cause public health system you wait a long time and I heard their not too great. so each time i want to see new specialist I pay to see a doctor first then pay initial consultations etc. It seems like a big joke lol. To see my first specialist I waited 3 weeks. anyway I am going to see this doctor now and see who he refers me too. We do get some of the money back from medicare but not from physio that the orthopedic surgeon suggested

thanks for the advice

[Magrego]

. Anyway cut a long story short the pain was getting worse from physio so he advised me to stop. He found my hamstrings and hip flexor is very tight and painful also contributing to my problems as I had knee rec onstruction and hammy tears previously in my life. so he has given me some exercises and stretching. He also gave me prescription for the pain but he thinks most of it is muscular with some spinal issues that I can live with. He said I am lucky to be alive considering my background. Anyway I will tell you if he was right soon enough and also he taped my back for better posture which feels great. I guess I was better off without any physio as he thinks they tend to milk you. anyway we will soon see in 3 weeks time. I think the pain is from manipulation of my spine to be honest but it was excessive pain so maybe was from the annular tear being activated. he said I have a very long neck too lol

anyways I will keep you posted

[Magrego]

I want people who read this too know if you get worse from physio please get a second opinion. I was being tricked and manipulated to give more pain aggravating my nerves or had no clue what they are doing. I am very disappointed in the fact so called professionals will take advantage of their patients to have their injuries ongoing. also the surgeon who overlooked everything was probably his drinking buddy down the pub. good luck and thank you to those who care. The major nerve pain is due to the physio and I know it because ever since I attended his practice I became 80 % worse. He overlooked simple stretching techniques saying it was my discs. amateur physio or pro con artist you decide. but the doctor who solved my problems in 45 minutes was a fantastic gp. I feel really stupid now, although I was in a lot of pain stressing for a very good reason.

kind regards magrego

[Maria]

Generally here in the states the conservative route for an acute back prob is initally rest w/ice and or heat, some nonsteroidal antiinflammatory meds, and some PT if still feeling badly tho getting better. The initial PT eval is an assessment of the individual and their history then some passive stretching (done to the patient usually or assisted by the PT) and heat packs, ultrasound which will advance over the next few weeks to some specific exercises tho still usually starts out with the stretching and ends with a heat pack/rest.

If PT fails or one feels worse during PT it's considered "failed" and is stopped. So it's very common here to have PT as part of the initial treatment for something like an annular tear as long as the degree isn't so bad that one is in severe pain horrific pain going into the initial appt.

It's very common for disc bulges to be exaccerbated by PT. Sometimes it's overzealous and sometimes not~ just seems like one wrong move tho is probably that whatever is going on has just reached a level of "one more thing" to set it off.

I'm glad you got your problem addressed tho be careful as your annular tear can still lead to incredibly painful episodes or periods or it could just be "there" and not really bother you that much. That's sort of what my L3 annular tear did. However I suspect that my L4 and L5S1 disc had tears that progressed on further to bulges that were terribly problematic.

Over the years I just learned myself what exaccerbates my probs and what doesn't, what level of exercise and type I can do and what I can't. I make sure that PT's are very careful with my back tho even when trying to work on other areas like helping my right knee recover from 2 surgeries my low back probs were greatly exaccerbated. Just happened.

Good luck. If you've not checked out that chirogeek webpage please do so as that's got so much good information there re annular tears, disc bulges and other back probs it really gives one a good idea of what is going on.

Hope you continue to recover and feel much better! Keep us posted!

[Magrego]

I just did a little research on what the GP has pin pointed in 5 minutes of checking my body. I am sure the physio was just milking me because this was defiantly my issue for my lower back pain as I feel so tight in my hamstrings and my hip flexorIf you push on my abdominals I am so sore. I think the physio should have noticed this. Anyway here is a little reading I found if your interested low back pain hip flexor

another article Relief for an aching back: ease lower back pain right now, and prevent it in the future, with these simple pilates-inspired solutions - Natural Health Articles | Find Articles at CBS MoneyWatch.com

[Maria]

M,
the links were a good read, thanks. All my Physical Therapists have done thorough assessments prior to treatment and had the information of my MRI's and other diagnostic tests. I guess because I was referred by the Orthopedic Surgeon/specialist and insurance paid there was no "milking" done tho I'm sure it does go on in some places/practices/somewhere.

Anyway it's good to hear you're feeling better and I do hope that continues! Keep us posted

[Magrego]

ok...........................3 months of seeing numerous doctors even a chiro who said my hip was twisted. I then was hinted by another doctor my iliospoas was sore. so I stretched and it got a little better.

sciatica came on for 2 days then i stoped stretching and fell victim to intense stabbing pain aching especially in mornings...ect.

depression started and anxiety is taking over while my fear of never knowing what is really wrong. I went to pain management they were saying it was in my head and i needed to take anti depressents. I got upset because i know my pain is being caused by something.

5 months of stabbing and pulling pain. that would go away when I was more active, although I cannot sit at all or work. my hip clicks and i have tight and very sore below and above my waiste all over. what could it be a mystery?

no its muscles that are pulling and twisting things everywhere. I have diareha and constempation. Its beyond a joke as my central nervous system is goin nuts. i got second opinion from a spine speacialist who said i could lift weights and im a stressor. yet ive been told by a chiro I have a twisted hip.

so I didnt stop searching in a anxious and determined manner kept searching until I found some trigapoint charts

triggapoint charts - Google Search

groin chart - Trigger Point Technologies Australia


I booked into see a great massage therapist. after 1 day i felt my legs become free. day 2 massage today ( i still have pain but they found a massive rock hard ball in my groin. i have many other knots and had deep tissue work that is amazing.

I am all spaced out because of the toxins releasing. I think my knots are from having too many protien powder shakes with injuries and working out.

myafascial pain syndrome I guess? I will update the massage therapy results if anyone is interested to learn.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome | Chronic Muscle Pain - WebMD

[Magrego]

oh also id say because of the difficulty pin pointing my problems in medical shit holes. A lot of others here may have similar problems causing pain and dysfunction and go undiagnosed(average 35-40 month. oh nevr underestimate the pain of muscle trigger points and tightness. It was in my neck and evrywhere im sure this is my problem. I feel violated by sydney practitioners and supposed professionals. i only went undiagnosed for 5 months im the lucky one who found a needle in a hay stack

I thought i would also mention I have had 2 knee surgeys and also 3 car accidents. a contibutor to quadrus lumborian back problems. may have been 10 years of muscular problems from a car accident 110km into a telegraph pole Holden barina) and was triggered 10 years later by excessive desk work. I couldnt breath because seat belt strangled my waiste in the car accident. I released seat belt and I gasped for air. I had whiplash for 2 weeks and never got checked properly. maybe this is the contributor to my long dysfunctional process. who knows but I thought architecture was hard I will be glad too work again soon and let my massage therapist fix my body

kind regards magrego

[Maria]

Magrego,
Glad you found someone that works so well with your knots and pain. I had a wonderful PT that worked on me for a year when I first started pain management back in 2000-2001 and while I'd had myofascial releases done many times before which probably sustained me while I continued working this person had the "gift" of really being able to make a difference with his work w/trigger points/knots/myofascial releases and such.

Congrats on finding someone to help you and hope you'll continue with this recovery and relief! Maria

[dshobbies]

Relief is relief no matter where you find it and you may have just found it.

Unfortunately, many doctors won't say 'I don't know' and instead, tell you it's in your head.

Your knee surgeries and whiplash... all cause you to carry your body differently which cause muscles to complain. Of course these should be addressed asap and perhaps, when you didn't, they decided to shout their dissatisfaction.

I hope these massages do it for you.

Dale

[jsewell]

Thanks for all the good links. I was waiting to get back to physical therapy , now even more so.
Good luck with getting rid of your pain.
judy

[Magrego]

yeh I found a massage therapist who massages australian cricket team. I realized most doctors cannot help. the pain management doctor told me to get the iliopsoas out of my head and stuff. I recon these doctors are in the hands of pharmaceutics companys. should watch a video called making a killing. Doctors can be made very rich if they prescribe. most just wanna drug you lol its a sad world sometimes and i feel sorry for people who never find out what they have.

I now have to quit maryjane as i took it up heavily in this last 5 months lmao. but i tell you thc is the key to pain and mental relief. only problem is I think the toxins from the weed may not help. I do not condone smoking or anything like that but if no one believes your in pain and it is hurting your feelings. the best cure is a big reefa to relax ur mind. some people get paranoid which wouldnt help much I guess. but because I am hypo and energetic(people like me cant sit still for long) so when there injured it effects them greatly because they like being very active.

Im not afraid to admit my life was changing cos of pain. I started being a horticulturist with many plants and species in my bak yard lol. I found a new relaxing life (Bonsais and reefas) I even have a vege patch that will feed me for a year haha.

So I have learnt alot in the 5 month journey. people dont believe what they can't see, i have lost a lot of dickhead friends and kept the best friends who were by my side. half my family dont talk to me now cos they recon im a bludger and there is nothing wrong (my uncle hit me with a newspaper lol) ect.

this made me realise never listen to anyone else unless they show they care. otherwise they just hurt you more or piss u off. I think the solution is never say you have back pain lol. people just think its like there pain they had for 5 minutes ago for 1 hour cos they were bent over wrong. real pain can destroy your central nervous system and you need to work things out.

Kind regards magrego

[Hooch]

Gday, I'm on the central coast atm.

Know what you mean with the pain and suffering and family. I never whinged to anyone in 3 years of brutal pain, eventually had the op and was treated like a piece of garbage by my father to the point of hanging up on me a week post op and telling me to 'have a nice life'. I'd forgiven him a lot, but that will do me, he is a piece of filth and I am finished with the miserable prick permanently.

I finally had the surgery (after being sent broke in FNQ by the condition), and am diong very well.

Physio I have found very helpful is

Bounce Back :: Home Page

It's essential really, training your core and biomechanical movements. I found all the rest of it to be rubbish.

Hope u keep on ok. If u consider surgery at some point this is a good place to start. I consulted with a few of the surgeons in Sydney so I can pass on my experience, chrisstaun at gmail.com , if im not on these boards.

good luck

Chris

[Magrego]

thanks for the advice and I am sorry to hear about 3 years of hell for you. I hope your better and if so how does it take to recover to work?



. I guess there are lots of people dealing with similar if not worse conditions. I mean it only took 5 months of undiognosed problems to go from moderate to chronic in no time. its actually quite amazing. I cant imagine going another 3 years with these problems undiognosed.

This is why I posted my findings so that others who dont know about muscles and how serious it could be if you dont treat it. I had mri and have slight disc protrusion in lower spine suggesting it is slowly damaging my spine. I had mris blood test for stis. I was tricked into thinking it was other conditions. I never thought muscles could be so powerful. I started to think about elastic bands rapped around a baloon and if they tighten what happens to this balloon. I realised its possible I have slowly but unpainfully been twisting. until 5 months ago the knots signaled my problems.

My belief is that a lot of spinal damage,hip problems,knee,kneck ect is associated to tight muscles and if untreated it can seem like the spine is the problem. I know people do have other underlying factors other than what I have found to be my problem but its worth considering if u have had accidents or similar symtoms. I have been an athlete on and off. so I think sport adds to muscle tightness and injury making this more possible

I would not consider surgery considering most of my problems may be my knee surgery. I am going to work hard on treatment and excercise.

I would not advice surgery if u can avoid it. there can be complications. Im seeing my doc next week that pin pointed my muscle soreness and hinted my problem. Im sure he knew and didnt wanna freak me out lmao. cos this condition can turn more serious if stress is involved. just took too long to find a good massage therapist. too many doctors have little concern for muscles and triggerpoints causing pain and serious conditions. 1 out of 10 doctors had no idea

cheers magrego

[Maria]

Hooch,
checked out bounce back site.. excellent! I remember now how much the stability ball really helped me. In fact for the longest time it's what I sat at the computer on and then of course doing "core work." Guess I've slacked off quite a bit to have forgotten that!

books I recommend/have:

"Making Your Bad Back Better"with the OConnor Technique
How You Can Become Your Own Chiropractor
Dr.William T. O'Connor, MD

I say it's a good read because of the information it has in it not because I hold it as "word" for everyone's spine or even my own. I've never even been to a chiropractor though seen a number of osteopathic doctors with similar methodology/information. Just an informative read w/some good stuff I think.

"The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook"Your Self-Treatment Guide For Pain Relief
Clair Davies, N.C.T.M.B.

Foreword by David G. Simmons, MD coauthor of Travell & Simmons Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual


Really good read for me at the time I had the most trigger point/myofasical pain work done. Great stuff I thought.



"Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain A Survival Manual"Devin Starlanyl
Mary Ellen Copeland

Again, great information. Very helpful to me as I had lots of myofascial releases done in the past to sustain me before and after surgeries.


I've mentioned these books before I think so I hope no one minds the redundancy. It's been a while (couple of years I think maybe).

[Magrego]

"The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook"

When I read this book it made me wake up. It opened my eyes, It has helped a lot mentally. It helps to understand the reason for your pain and how I can try to rid of the problems or to at least learn to live with it. When a doctor just says to live with it doesn't help much.

I had my spine worked on today and I should have brought some thing to put between my teeth lol. I think my spine is full of knots or it is really bumpy lumpy feeling in the middle of my back. she worked on my spine alot. she is also performing sacrio therapy and she seemed excited to finally feel a shift she said in my lower sacrum part. she had no movement previously. I think because I tried to relax my legs really helped. It was so hard to relax them but I just let go of everything that was hurting inside from my family to my situation. My left but cheek relaxed and I felt it drop. But my stubborn right but wont budge lol seems like alot of tension going on that I never knew I had. The body is good at hiding underlying problems.

I am feeling better just a touch but its only been 3 sessions. I been really focusing on trying to relax my legs and muscles. gettn muscles spasm everywhere even my biceps for 1 minute today. It is not painful the twitches just funny lookn haha I have a few at once and its like they are racing each other.

To be honest it feels so good just to have a good massage therapist that can acknowledge and understand whats happening. I am so much more releaved I am having treatment that isn't damaging me.

The first physio therapist I saw seemed to really damage me when he said he was sliding my discs to get movement. to me it seemed like he was aggravating or damaging me. I am just glad to feel safe when being treated now

I wanted to ask is it normal practice to be pushing on discs?

thanks magrego

[Maria]

Pushing on the discs or the vertebral segments and so the discs.. because that's what I have had much of the time however gently as I am a small person w/known disc probs/surgeries and my weight was like 102 at the time of the surgeries (115 or so now). So the right amount of pressure is used when it's a very experienced person who knows how to work w/each individual.

I don't know if I answered the question you were actually asking... btw I had alot of sacroiliac work done as well as I used to have tons of probs w/sacroiliac joint dysfunction or so all the PTs said when working on me.

Eventually you sort of learn to release yourself .. or it seemed that way to me and I don't know if that's because I have less pain so I carry myself much looser or all the combinations of whatever worked for me so I am much less "tight" and unstable these days.

My L5S1 did autofuse as something like 28 years.. so I think that helped quite abit w/my spine seeming more stable.

[dshobbies]

Just a word of caution - post ADR surgery deep pressure massages should be avoided around that area. I don't know the pressure of trigger point massages but have read on another forum their benefits.

Magrego, have you ever tried meditation? It doesn't have to be anything more than deep relaxation of the body along with the release of all tension. Practicing it daily is quite beneficial for those of us (and everyone else too) who tend to protect ourselves, both mentally and physically, with our poor muscles. Perhaps the two together, trigger point therapy along with meditation will get double the results????

Dale

[Magrego]

ok so it is normal practice. it seemed to make my neck feel like it was cut open 2 days later. i guess this technique was useless on me.

Im glad your feeling more stable these days, having back issues is such a pain the butt. Im actually quite pleased to see you put in a lot of effort to keep yourself going and an inspiration for myself. Im 28 and havnt workd for 3/5 months and need to just get the pain to a level I can sit again. I was lookn at this website Trigger Point Charts

mine seem to be everywhere but especially in middle of back stabbing pain which seems to be preventing me from sitting. anybody else had trouble sitting from trigerpoints. I think if I can focus on releasing that one first might be able to get me back to work faster

I cant wait to be able to work. Im starting to get excessive twitching now. even in my muscle so I ate a bannana and drank water. Is this caused from the massages or that i need to drink more water or is this just a part of getting better. im guessing toxins are goin nuts probably.

Is difficult to bring your central nervous system under control after its been triggered for too long? I dont think my therapist was impressed with my chiro cos I was seeing him for 2 months and all he treated me for was hip alignment.

thanks for the good answers It just helps me evaluate what has happened in the last 5 months or mabe even 10 years. I think this is much more of a mental thing than I thought and seem to be getting closer.

I bought the aeron chair for $1300 . has anybody else had experience on this chair cause its a lot to pay for a chair if it doesnt work for myofascial pain . im guessing the lumbar should help and the tension. I might buy a swiss ball also

thanks magrego

[Magrego]

DS I think your right. I think this could also help my design never thought of meditation only yoga

[Magrego]

Seems the meditation has helped my pain relief. I have finally found a massage therapist that understands my condition ,It has been such a relief to be told it looks like I have chronic myofascial pain. Not sure if I have fibromyalgia. My Psoas and abdominal muscles even pubic area. AlsO my neck muscles seem to be in pain from upper back to lower back.

Myofascial release that made me realize I had chest pain also . Felt like a heart attack when I had it 3 years ago and it went away after 4 days when I use to live in london. It triggered a emotional release where tears came out of my eyes when he released my diaphragm as I had breathing problems due to chronic tightness. I thought it was my heart. Now I relised what I had been dealing with. I believe head on car accident and years of whiplash from other car accidents will bite you even years later.Years of working at a computer and cricket bowling used the same muscles that were used in the car accidents. My therapist believes the twisting action involved in my car accident was very similar to the years of cricket I played after the accident.

My therapist believes my body has stored a lot of trauma and is being released which I felt. This was amazing and have been experiencing better days but I relapsed into what they call a healing crisis. I have been experiencing some radiating and random fleeting pain throughout my body. I started taking muscle relaxers mainly due to muscle twitching.

I can finally see the light as some days I can sit without pain which is very exciting. I walk 45 mins a day although sometimes less depending on the pain. Pain in right foot and knee. Also hip pain also. I stop a have a warm shower that reduced the pain.

I have also stopes eating gluten, sugars, wheat and dairy. Seems to me it was the sugar and possibly wheat but I am not sure at this stage. I also have been focusing on walking with my core even with my eyes closed to be more aware of my body.

I realized life is about balance and being aware of your body. My mind and lifestyle was too fast for my body . I had neglected the pain and continued doing these habits that my job requires. We are still adapting to the evolution of sitting all day. I now use my iphone to do emails or research lying back in a recliner now which helps me reduce the amount of straining when sitting vertically.

I was wondering if the were any doctors in Sydney that know about chronic myofascial pain:/ I just want to have a gp that can help me and manage my condition as I feel I am disabled now and I am 28 who feels my medical system can't help me. The doctors keep neglecting me and saying it's in my head lol. I know I have cmp and no one can tell me except a therapist. In this day and age you really need a gp who understands as well.

Anyway the survival manual is the key to my success so anyone with cmp or fibromyalgia should have one. Also myofascial release is defiantly the best thing I have tried and it's only been 3 or 4 weeks and have noticed my body reversing through the cycle I got the pain. Human body is one amazingly painful and complexity has just astonished my earlier ideas on the human body. Pain moves in diagonals and spirals very hard to track.

Cheers magrego

[Maria]

Magrego,
The doctors I've seen that seem to know the most about myofascial pain have been Osteopathic doctors. Their training is a little different than the MD (they have DO after their name for doctor of osteopathic medicine). They learn to do releases and manipulations in their medical school training. Some don't practice this once out of school and it can be a challenge to find one that really works well w/the individual. Don't know if you have this type of doctor where you're at or if it's only in the US.

Glad to hear you're making some progress. Myofasical pain is a real thing which I think we often ignore and want to go for more drastic measures and sometimes it's difficult to tell what's caused what in terms of findings as the body seems to have it's own way of adapting or adjusting to whatever trauma it's endured. I just know releases have been a good adjunct therapy for me.

Sounds like your lifestyle adaptations are helping as well and that's good. Do you have a stability ball to work w/re core exercises? It's also a great thing to bounce across the room gently of course!

[Magrego]

Yeh I worked out that the disc mobilization totally screwed my central nervous system. I am really not happy that I was told by my myofascial therapist he damaged my nerves and triggered my triggerpoints and central nervous system to go hay wire. Pretty much the therapist is making some progress but seems my mental state is finding it hard to accept this physo ruined my life.

I know I have chronic myofascial pain and possibly more as my organs were being squeezed. I wonder if I have fibro from the trauma as I am mentally struggling at times. I found I'm worst at night or first thing in the morning but I am never tired. Insomnia like

It's impossible to see my pain from a outsider but my girlfriend says it's in my eyes. I really hope I get better cos the pain is everywhere even in my eyes when reading. Any part of my body hurrts now. It goes away at random times and u start to think your getting better but it returns . I never thought you could get an invisible disease. I wish I could sit down cos people think I am anxious but I just can't sit for 1- 5 mins at a time.

I am determined to beat this disease but geese it's hard when most people won't believe you. I don't receive any medical help because they don't know about my illness in new south wales.

Thanks to the support on the forum as it has really helped. If anyone has questions about widespread pain. Firstly myofascial release really does help. I think it heals in an unpredictable way or mabe it's just a disease playing mind games with me at the moment. If I do get better I will post what helped me.

If anyone was cured from fibromyalgia or chronic myofascial pain please post up I want my life back

[dshobbies]

Perhaps it's time to consider alternative therapies like acupuncture, bio-feedback, etc. Might help -

[Hooch]

If your major problem is severe chronic lower back pain that prevents you from sitting and working and you are in NSW, go see Diwan at the Spine Service at St George Private.

They will hook you up with physio and injections and surgery if it is indicated/desired.

If you mentally collapse under the burden of constant debilitating pain (and everyone does, eventually), all sorts of wierd things keep happening.

I wouldn't be in a rush to give yourself a non-diagnosis like fibro or cmp.

[Magrego]

Thanks for the advice. I am going to keep doing myofascial release and try together an ultrasound Of my abdominals. I have had irritable bowl syndrome for months that has slowly diminished a bit since seeing the therapist.

I have triggapoints goin nuts. In psoas , hips ,diaphragm, thighs , neck back hands, shoulders,

I'm very anxious sometimes. Mood swings ,depression, the worst is the feeling in my stomach, the upper back muscles, and lower back muscles , abdominals, especially rectus abdominous , prevent me from sitting, when I try to sit and work I get a big ball of pressure in different areas mainly my psoas I think. And back area. It's friggn cruel to not b able to sit I'm over it after 8 months and I'm 28 . It's not cool if u can't drink alcohol or even soda. I've drank water for months I look fit and strong. I still have strenghth but I buckle to some degree. My muscles were extremely tight and I found tender spots in most of my body when I do the release points. I must admit this is unbelievably hard to stay calm all the time but meditating can help if I'm not too anxious. I think my mental state can't handle the pain without getting other problems like depression. I'm just fed up sometimes trying to keep positive when it just keeps doin random pains

It is totally amazing how much I understand now about my pain . I am in tune with my pain with no pain killers now. I stoped taking endep 10 mg 3 days ago. I hope it was a good idea but they were making me crazy. I am having irrational thoughts which I am a little worried but I would think anyone who lost their passions would be .

I have muscular problems all over and If I use my body repetedly say even using my iPhone is killing my shoulder arms and hands.

Anyway il keep trying , ima try triggapoints with my tennis ball and eliminate the nasty mysterious triggerpoints

Are there more sinister underlying conditions that could be causing my problems? I assume cmp or fibro is up there because no body else is too worried lol It at times feels like I'm dying but I don't show signs of blood. My therapist recommended to have my organs ultrasound . I'm going tommorrow to see a doc again. Atleast this new one listens but has only heard of fibro. I think I have chronic myofascial pain but frequently question fibro. I can't sleep in any position comfortably it's crazy. God knows what I have and I just hope he can shed some light on me cos I have learnt my lesson now to look after my body and hope I can get that second chance. If i end up employing people I will make sure they are comfortable on ergo chairs lol

I need to go back and finish 9 units to get my degree. I wonder if I can do university if I can't sit down but if I don't get better soon I'm going to die trying lol I need that degree

Cheers Magrego

[Maria]

I don't know about where you're at tho here in the states universities have Disabled Student Resources dept.

At the age of 28 when I was injured and then starting my MSN (masters of science in nursing) at around 30 I didn't want to go there as in associating myself w/"disabled" but I ran into some resistance re my not being able to "sit" at a desk for a class or two so I pulled out that stop and went there.

Had the backing of this dept and nursing dept provided a beanbag chair which at the time I could sit in off the side to the front of class and semi recline as i could not sit on my tailbone for anything for years at least not for any amount of time.

In grad statistics class the instructor was really understanding and allowed me to lay across one table. Yeah it was sorta uncomfortable and yeah people would say stuff but I really didn't care as I was going to get that Masters degree and remain employed since I couldn't work as a staff nurse any longer re hours/work/various things. The MSN clinicals were Ok and I didn't put them back to back like most people did rather had 4 hour clinicals 3 x/week and took a bit longer to finish program. Didn't care, finished it, got my Masters, got several jobs and prolonged my career until 2000 w/work that was much easier for me as it involved no lifting only seeing patients/administrative work.

You do what ya gotta do. re the symptoms you have it does sound like might be fibromyalgia then again could be a mix of things. Seeing the right specialist is the best answer. Finding that one or the ones might be like finding a needle in the haystack tho I'm sure over time you will.

Re emotions I think anyone cut down in their prime is going to be thinking some pretty mean stuff. I know I did. Not to mention it took me years to keep from reinjuring myself because I was young when I got injured and I was energetic, worked out, hiked, was very fit and did all the things a young person who loves to be active does!

Being older and needing downtime is much easier. Friends are way more understanding and even seem to have their own stuff that might slow them down as well.

hang in there and try what you're trying. You seem to have a very good grip on everything esp. for your age and what you're going thru.

[jsewell]

Magrego,
I feel bad as you are so young to be going through a mysterious pain problem. I don't know details about fibro, but i have a lot of endocrinology problems. WHen my spine surgeon suggested i might have fibromyalgia i asked my endocrinologist . My endo said he thinks fibro is just an undiagnosed endocrine problem. I don't want to add confusion to you, but maybe you could find an excellent endocrinologist and see if something is going on. One thing if you are on pain meds for a while it decreases testosterone levels. I have found this happened to me as women have a little testosterone and i had practically none and am replacing it.
WEll it did get to a point with me where everything hurt , all my old injuries from my youth i am 53, was 50 i think at the time. So both my spine surgeon and my endocrinologist sent me to a rheumatologist. THey had already ruled out things like rheumatoid arthritis. But i was diagnosed with something you cannot have as you are way way too young., But it is called polymyalgia rheumatica and is a disease of older people (they said i was way to young to have it ) that causes inflammation in all your muscles. THe treatment was lots of steroids.
Just wanted to explain there are other possibilities and things we have never heard of , unfortunately. So my advice would be to have your endocrinology system checked out.
Let us know how it is all going,
judy

[Magrego]

Thanks for the replys I have some news finally the other day.
My si joint MRI revealed sacroiliitis grade 1-2 with small amount of edema and cyctic formation. The findings are consistent with bilateral sacroiliitis .

Wow I was surprised they actually found something there lol. It seems it is in my whole body now so Mabe it has progressed.

I tell you my life is completely changed it's actually quite amaZing how fast the human body can crumble in a matter of days that turn to months then I haunt lived the rest. But god dam Its so annoying I can't sit or be comfortable and that's the start.

Really worst thing about it is I can never be comfortable. I can see why people sometimes turn to drugs but I am trying to resist the temptation to bake my mind and body lol.

Anybody know if I sacroiliitis is a low success rate. I have sorta accepted I am going to be like this for a long time. At the same time I can't handle another minute of this.

I bought some African cichlids and my buds have been harvested so life could be worse

Anyone had any experience wit sacro problems let us know what can be done.
Thanks guys for the advice earlier I do read it just it takes me some real effort to use my iPhone to reply lol

Never thought using a touch screen could ever be painful

[Magrego]

well I am 1 years since my first encounter with chronic pain where I felt like I was dying. It looks to be reactive arthritis although I have not been diagnosed yet my specialist said that's what it looks like.

Seems that I had contracted a bacterial infection some years ago which may have been the actual trigger to this disease. I do not have the gene but I guess when someone grabed my neck around the time I had the bacterial infection (I actually contracted food poisoning) I had treatment for the bacterial infection after my neck had been squeezed by someone.

this grabing the neck cause a massive shooting pain from my cervical right into what felt like my rectum or sacroiliac joint possibly. but it was horrible at the time and made my neck stiff for days. I also had a wierd feeling like the world had just fell on top of me. although I never screamed or yelled, I sat there shocked so no one really knew what had happened at work. I just went home sick so the other guy didn't get fired. I just thought I had a neck problem at the time.

I then recovered until I would throw my neck out severely every 3 months or so. This was very livable and I could still work most of the time.

Then one day I had a sever incredible pain in my chest which I thought was a heart attack (dizzy, very sick) as I went to the hospital. I started to struggle to breath and they found heart palpations. They sent me to a bigger hospital and they said I was too young to have a heart attack and sent me home. I had it for about a week then it went away all of a sudden. I went and traveled Europe I had no problems besides knee problems but other than that I had a great time. I think the active traveling kept me into remission as I backpacked for 3 months.


I then needed a knee reconstruction as my knee crunched at cricket year or so later. this may have been due to this disease (not sure). mind you I always had reoccurring neck stiffness (throwing it out) that went away after a while. but started to get worse and worse. I was in remission most of my time which was not bad because I got relief.

then of a total of 3 years I started suffer from flu like pain or some weird sick feeling, I thought it was my friends house or the air. I really did not consider I had anything infectious.

Then my problem started into light to mild headaches which panadols could solve. I also started to get upper back pain and even heavy shoulders, and just general feeling unwell. But this was nothing serious at this stage for me as I just kept living it up.

Then I started to get sick of these neck problems and thought I better go see somebody to fix this problem as I was taking up boxing and cricket, rugby union ect, I loved to play sport and played all my life,

surgeon who told me I had discophytic change and needed to go see a physio. I think I mentioned this earlier but as you can see I was way off track I could have never guessed it was a rare disease that had probably been progressed by disc mobilization technique on my cervical where the guy grabed my neck. I also noticed alcohol made my condition progress further as It created bowel troubles which is associated with reactive arthritis.

After the physio pushed on my neck I have never been the same and I am now on anti inflammatory which make my life a lot better in terms of wide spread constant pain. I still cannot sit but I can do alot more in terms of moving. I also had nexium for stomache ulcers.

I am so much happier I don't need to smoke weed because I found a doctor to help me lol I worked out why weed was the best answer at the time is because it is a anti inflammatory. but I would not advice it unless you have no other option. the anti inflammatory don't help completely but they help. I quit weed so I can find the energy to fight this disease which i have. I started light 5 kg weights, core work, light boxing, swimming.

This has helped build my confidence but at times I am still very scared because I am always in constant pain and cant walk stand or sit very well. I am re enrolled to finish university and pray I will get better or otherwise I am just going to have to deal with the hand I was dealt.

I was still trying to work out why I cannot sit down very long even with medications. (it is better than it was) I was thinking maybe I had prostateitis or some inflammation somewhere that the meds dont work because a lot of practitioners seem to believe I should be able to sit down and the pain is in my head. I am sick of people telling me its in my head even before I got treatment they told me that.


anyway If anyone has prostatitis or reactive arthritis,. my job requires 8 hours of sitting so I need to be as fit as possible for my career. I cannot even sit to have a meal without having to alternate with standing. people look at me like I am so weird they just cant understand why I stand and eat.

some friends get impatient with me and can't handle the not sitting part as socialising seems to be about sitting a lot of the time. I never realised how much we need to sit its actually so amazed at how unhealthy office careers are if you sit all the time but it is required, and no one will employ me if I need to recline back. I just feel so isolated because no body seems to relate with my problems. I am getting stronger but it has just been so long now.

I am just wondering how many people deal with spine pain and dont relate it with some form of auto immune disease? because I didn't realize for over 3 years until it got so bad I haven't worked for over a year.

just wish I had realized before it had been progressed so far that now it is in nearly every joint and stomache ect. So hopefully this may help some person to find the correct specialist earlier. because this disease can be very mild or very severe depending. also symptoms vary greatly so make sure you research or see a doctor before jumping to conclusions like myself Its hard not to when you are trying to find what is making you sick.

good luck to anyone suffering from any pain or sickness and to make sure you keep living every day as happy as possible.
I try to trick myself by saying pain and suffering are 2 different things. you can have pain and suffer, or you can just have pain. to be honest your just going to suffer less if your happier and do your best to forget about it. its the only solution if you cannot cure or fix something I believe

peace and take care

[ADR seeker]

Doctors have a lot of fancy words mostly Latin which is a dead language. I think we know more about the surface of the moon that they structure and function of the spine. Doctors are not all that well informed nor is it in the best financial interest to be informed. They make more money when they fail. Crazy huh?

I have had various bouts of PT and it either made me worse or did nothing. The only thing that bought me time was chiropractic care and now that is not working.

Try GENTLE traction and chiropractic care. Get one of those Sleep Number beds.

You may need to have an MRI done while you are standing of seated.

[Magrego]

Well I guess it is crazy but I know why it happens capitalist system with people wanting to make money. Even if they don't know what is wrong with you, they will pretend to know. In the process they may damage people and often do. It was amazing how I actually dreamed my spine was in a jar after the physio pushed on my spine.

I use to weigh 86kg now I way 56kg within 6 months. my muscle has disappeared and I look like that guy of silver chair. daniel johns he had reactive arthritis.

I don't think anything will show in mri for a while because my body is attacking itself. it takes time to damage and show in mri I think. well thats what the specialist told me. I just hope it goes away before it damages me permanently. I think the pain I have is inflammation and joint pain throughout body hence why I lost so much weight. my immune system or the medications pretty much ate my muscle in 4 months.

I find it hard to eat cos of the medications but even when I eat i am still losing weight. my thighs are half the size and people know i am sick just by looking at me now. I look like a junkie compared to what i use to be although I just look skinny to someone who never met me. auto immune disease is so hard to diagnose I have to wait. I am still not diagnosed but I am confident I have reactive arthritis otherwise I would have thought I was dying slowly.

has anyone experienced Reactive arthritis. see I don't have a lot of the classic symptoms such as eye inflammation or swollen feet. just severe pain with little swelling.

[cherylstewart67]

hello magrego, i have got 16 months to pay on a jetta $381 a month or i can trade it in and lease a elantra for $232 per month for 36 months. but i am afraid to live and enjoy anything for fear i will have to quit working and nto be able to drive anyway. i feel like i should seel my jetta since it worth more than the pay offf and just stay home and pop pills or drink one of the two.

[cherylstewart67]

Originally Posted by ADR seeker

Doctors have a lot of fancy words mostly Latin which is a dead language. I think we know more about the surface of the moon that they structure and function of the spine. Doctors are not all that well informed nor is it in the best financial interest to be informed. They make more money when they fail. Crazy huh?

I have had various bouts of PT and it either made me worse or did nothing. The only thing that bought me time was chiropractic care and now that is not working.

Try GENTLE traction and chiropractic care. Get one of those Sleep Number beds.

You may need to have an MRI done while you are standing of seated.

i love my temperpedic. have heard good things about the number bed too.

[Eddie G]

Rugby Union rules! Super 15 starting in like 40 days!!!! GO BLUE BULLS!

AND NOT SITTING DOWN LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE SUCKS. I am constantly shifting my position trying to be comfortable. I hear ya!

[Magrego]

hey guys sorry to hear you have similar situations and really hope you guys recover. I also think that money is the biggest issue for people when they are sick, its sad it has to be like that. as an architect I would like to design buildings that are nicer but money ruins it for everyone. I love this world but money and corruption just seems way too easy and people forget about themselves or their friends. Most of the time people don't notice it but money and corporation suck the life out of us. wish I lived with the Egyptians sometimes see before capitalist they never had the number zero or negative numbers. they started with 1 not 0. so in other words our society lives in fear of going negative. really their is no zero or nothing. their is always something. the number zero is only a mental entity. so just remember this capitalist world that most live in is created by purely the mind. We do not know quality of life, we merely only know how to quantify life. Its not the people , its the systems in place. Its hard to stop it once it starts. Its just the way it is, this is what I try to tell myself. oil and money is a primitive way of life is all I am saying.


Anywho, just been fighting the reactive arthritis. I couldn't even skip it hurt so bad(this made me concerned considering I use to box and skip everyday). I started to do 30 seconds everyday of skipping. I also performed light weights, swimming and walking. I can now walk longer and longer it is actually amazing. I weighed 56kg and now I am 66kg(normal body weight is 76kg. I been drinking pea protein because my inflammation of the bowel cannot handle other protein. I have forced myself to eat and has helped big time.

I got better and better. To be honest I am still sick but I move around as much as I can because it makes me feel better afterwards even though it hurts while I exercise. I have excellent improvement and my specialist said my spine has improved. He believes that my body can possibly stop attacking my joints and organs one day. the specialist was confident I will get better if I keep fighting it. This is when a heart of gold is handy because you do not know if it will work but it is worth everything.


obviously other people have problems that do not even allow them to move around but if you can move around and your doctor says you can JUST KEEP MOVING.

I found my situation got worse mainly because it hurt so much to move. I started to stiffen up but lately with anti inflammatory and exercises . I been doing bruce lee isometric training. when I sit now, even when I am in pain I will try the isometrics when sitting. look its not a miracle worker but it helps. I believe if I keep taking anti- inflammatory and training my core I may be able to sit.

I guess with a reactive arthritis its best to keep moving if you can otherwise it just gets worse. Hydro therapy is the key.

the symptoms I was experiencing are far better than before and am grateful to everyone on this site who gave me advice.

[Magrego]

I just wanted to say I am almost completely better from acupuncture and traditional Chinese herbals to improve the blood flow.

Anyone with any illness like reactive arthritis, fibro or whatever, I advice highly to do ACUPUNCTURE, it actually worked for me. I have also read others who got better from acupuncture.

my friend had epilepsy and the acupuncture and herbals helped him too. we are both going out partying, meeting girlies and having a fantastic life again. I still have minor pain but acupuncture keeps me on top of it and makes me recover fast.

good luck and I have my life back. If nothing helps you get acupuncture it really does help the blood flow, and the herbals helped me sleep and stay calm. I had anxiety disorder which is gone now too. I probably will not return to this site cause it reminds me of the hell I went through, but wanted to share what helped me so I can possibly help others

peace