spondylolisthesis

[stenuta]

I have been diagnosed with spondylolisthesis. I was just trying to find some information on weather or not I'am eligible for dissability in my state with having this problem. I live in wisconsin.

[stenuta]

I have been looking for information to apply but have not been directed to the right place. Pleace help thanks.

[Treasuresgirl]

by spondylolisthesis i am guessing you mean a stress fracture and/or slip vertabrea in the back. Hello. I am 15 and I have spondylolisthesis and scoliosis. I got it from soccer. I was sprinting and then I had to stop and turn and run the other way and so i planted my foot down to pivot and i forgot to bend my knee. All the speed from my sprint, i am very fast by the way, was sent through my knee, because it wasnt bent and not absorbing the shock, and straight to my lower back. It hurt soooo bad. I cried for a long time and when my parents tried to drive me to the hospital, i screamed because every little road bump hurt it. This injury gave me scoliosis. I still do my physical therapy every morning to keep my abs and core strong. i still play soccer and ride horses and i still feel some pain but thats probably because i do alot of straining activity. you will probably have to go through a few month of PT. thats what i did and i also wore a back brace for 5 months...it stunk. but be careful! one side injury of spondylolisthesis is sciatica. i got it but after a few weeks of PT it went away. it was also verrryyy painful--sharp pain shot down from the lower back to the toes. it comes from the nerve being pinched in a way it has never been pinched before because of the new injury. my bones in my back are so far seperated from the spine that it is not fixable. if yours is fixable, that is good news! but my stress fractures are not healable so im screwed. Where are your injuries? lower or upper back?

PS. Good news-- my dads friend had grade 4 of spondylolisthesis and it cant heal w/o surgery (which i dont recommend, too risky) and he went through 6 years of the army and severl marathons. so you can live with this...

[Treasuresgirl]

It depends on what grade level you are if you want to be eligible for a dissability

[stenuta]

The doctor said that the only way to relive the pain is an expensive surgery to fuse togther the vertebrae.  Im in a lot of pain 24/7, I dont sleep much, and asprins dont work. In addition  for the past two months i've been having a non stop pain out of my left side with still the pain in my back.  Now I thought it was my kidney but I have no urnial symtoms.  I hope I havent strained my back into having a hurniea? It feels like a stretched out muscle.  Im limited on my side to side movement and bending. I cant stand strait because it hurts I have to slouch all day.  Sorry not to sound like someone complaing its just a constant pain with my back and a lot of people just don't understand.

[iagal]

The grade of your diagnosis will define what you might be covered for. If you have a level 1 and are experiencing a great deal of pain ask yourself "do I get relief from leaning forward or leaning backwards?" If you answered leaning backwards I would bring up to your doctor the question as to what the condition of your disks are.

[msprincess]

Hello
I am a 30 yr old female.  I was diagnosed with Spondylolisthesis Grade IV in 2002.  Because of the severity of it no doctors wanted to perform surgery on me.  I finally was referred to a doctor who did perform the spinal fusion - and that was 4 years ago.  To this day I have chrinic back pain.  I am unable to sit, walk, stand or lay down for long periods.  I am on pain medication all day every day.  I am now unable to work. The pain is getting worse and worse as time goes by.  My spine has a curve to it and I walk like a duck now.
I am looking for a support group.  I really think this would help me understand how others are coping with there disease.

[chrissyi]

i've been having terrible pain in my toes and feet and up my legs sometimes stabbing and only lasting for a few seconds and then to another spot later, also somtimes it is just a constant dull pain everywhere. Sometimes i have pains in my hips . MY doctor gave up on finding out what is wrong and i had to ask her to give me a mri after every other tests have allready been done, Anyway the person that read my results whom i never got a chance to talk to or even know who it is wrote a slip to my doc, grade 1 spondylolysis with a thoratic curvature to the right also degenerate facets too. when i go to a specalist and i bend down ok they write me off too but it is getting much worse and getting alot harder to work everyday  , i would appriate any help or advice from everybody   thanks chrissy

[leahmichele]

I'm so sorry for all your pain.My only problem is my PCP won't refer me to anyone feels he can handle me on his own and when I told him about spodylolisthesis and my symptoms he shrugged it off and wants to treat me as if I have a herniated disc.so now I'm on klonopin and relefen personally I think he's giving me a placebo cuz it's not working

[Joface]

Tell your physician that you want an MRI - you need to know the extent of your illness, so that at the very least, your physical therapist can treat it correctly.  And you certainly do not want to be on klonopin and relefen for pain on a long term basis - drugs have side effects of their own and you don't need to add to your problems.
I do know he/she is probably reluctant to prescribe an MRI, since many health insurance companies have, just in the last year, made it very difficult to get this exam.  They think it is being overused, so when your doctor says you need it, the request must first be reviewed by some non-partisan committee in order to get them approved.  Blue Cross, United Healthcare, all the major plans have instituted this new requirement.

[pigsooie03]

I have had 2 diskectomies and fixing to have my third.  You should put your foot down with your PCP and tell him if there is nothing he can do, that you want a CT or MRI.  Then maybe see a neuro.  there several ways to overcome without surgery.  They did not work for me, but a couple of my friends did PT and alot of exercise and were able to overcome there trouble

[Charlene4809]

Hi,
I too was recently diagnosed with Sponylolisthesis.  I'm fairly young and extremely active. I thought I had just put my back out of whack.  I have been meeting with a chiropractor that assures me that he can help me with the ongoing discomfort and pain.  I've been meeting with the chiropractor three days a week for several months.  As of last week we've slowed down the visits to only once a week.  He believes I will only need a few adjustments a year once he's done with me.  Honestly, I'm not seeing any improvement.  I hate taking medicine for anything but honestly believe I'm going to have to start taking pain relievers daily just to be able to move around, deal with the pain or function without looking as if I'm an 80yr. old woman barely able to walk. I have four kids and can't afford to be laid up.  Is there anyone out there that has experienced improvement for Sponylolisthesis by going to a chiropractor?  Is there anything I can do to keep it from getting worse or even make it better by watching my diet or doing specifc exercises?  I'll try just about anything with the exception of surgery. Thank you!!

[missywv]

I also have a spondylolisthesis, I had one chiropractor treat me fairly successfully a couple of years ago - because he absolutely insisted he could not adjust that area and didn't, but kept the rest of me in alignment.  I also received deep tissue massage (very painful but helped a lot).  He moved his office and I went to a different chiropractor last fall.  He adjusted that area and made me way way WAY worse.  I fully believe that I am in the condition I am in today because of what he did.

Were you diagnosed with a spondylo by xray alone?  If so - I would urge you to seek out a MRI to see what else is going on in your spine.  Physical therapy and anti-inflammatories helped me tremendously (both of which a chiropractor can't give you).  If it has been months and you haven't seen any improvement - go to your Primary Care Physician and see what he can do for you about an anti-inflammatory and a MRI.

Good Luck.