20 yr old with Many Issues

[mdh111688]

Hi, I am new to this...I really would appreciate any advice.  I am a 20 year old female with many problems.  My lower back has a lot of degeneration and arthritis to the point the orthopedic I saw said it looked like a 45 year old's, my neck is now straight due to muscle spasms, and constant headaches for three and a half years (which possibly are caused by TMJ).  The dentist I see for the TMJ said that this might be similar to the problems I am having with my muscles and skeleton.  I have a lot of pain in most of my joints and muscles.  I am searching to see if there might be an explanation for everything that's been happening.  I have been mostly healthy my entire life and it's only been in the last year and a half ago that I started having problems.  Is there anything that might explain the sudden downturn?

[ellijaygal]

Well if you can't get any help form the doctor you are seeing, I would suggest taking your MRI's for a second opinion. I hope you figure it out.

[mdh111688]

Hey, I had MRI's of my lumbar spine and neck.  The neck MRI just showed that my neck had lost its natural curvature and was perfectly straight.  The doc said that since I didn't have any trauma, it was probably caused by muscle spasms...which I don't know the cause of.  The lumbar MRI showed degeneration and arthritis.  He didn't go into detail on the type of the arthritis.

[ellijaygal]

Have you had MRI's of your back and neck? I hope you find your answer soon. I have DDD & DJD (arthritis) and that's enough to cause pain.

[mdh111688]

Well, he really doesn't say.  The back guy I saw was a complete jerk so I haven't seen him since the end of last school year (I am in college right now).  A chiropractor I saw a year or so ago said that it could be fibromyalgia but he wasn't positive.  Other than that, nobody has really said much, other than to point out that I am quite complicated...

[ellijaygal]

What does your doctor say causes the pain?