Disc compression at T-8 T-9 T-10 T-11

[Kobraky]

Hi there, First time post on here not exactly sure what kind of answers i might get but , I recently injured my back at work , ( I caught someone from falling on ice/concrete ) Ever since that day i've had incredible amount of pain in the middle of my back going down my back and numbness / loss of control of my right leg. The most recent Xray ( first Xray / MRI was done on my lower back ) was taken of the middle of my back and showed disc compression at T8 T9 T10 AND T11 and my doctor said it was probably pushing on my spinal cord. I get the results of the MRI tomorrow morning and i am rather nervous ( BTW I am 26 years old not in bad physical condition ) Had no back problems in the past what so ever and now all of this ever since catching someone from falling ( He was a pretty big guy i guess )

Anyone have similar occurrence / had compression of discs in this area before ? Really just trying to figure out what I'm in for ......this has hit me like a ton of bricks and can't believe how bad this actually is when your the one experiencing it  

I will post what the MRI report says tomorrow just trying to get some similar storys and what they did and how they are doing now.

Thanks in advance!
Kyle

[Kobraky]

Thanks Greg for posting back. Yea I am just playing the hurry up and wait game now. I go back in 3 weeks now to get an LES Injection in my spine. The spasms have def calmed but are still there but no where near what they were. So at least that is going for me. The right leg is still giving me quite a bit of trouble. I've found during the day my back really doesn't hurt unless i start doing things around the house (i.e. Dishes or even just pickin up my daughters toys ) But I do know exactly when its time for my next dose of muscle relaxers and pain meds because it feels like someone is jumping on my back all of a sudden. Sadly this event is starting to really take its toll financially because workmans comp is really putting the screw to me on my wage loss reimbursement....

Nothing too remarkable to rejoyce about or anything lol . Just another day filled with medications and not much physical activity just to have a sense of life.

I hope all is well with you and thanks again for the information.

Kyle

[ggreg]

Kyle,
Well, don't take what I say about which thoracic disc compression or herniation is goofing up your legs.  I just picked the last thoracic vertebra that was bothering you.  Also, you don't need to have a second MRI; if you want a second opinion, you can just have the existing pictures and report forwarded to another doc, which if you have serious doubts, do so.  But I think your reevaluation in three weeks is when you will be able to express your concerns and ask them to explain everything a little better for you, and also by that time, you should notice at least a slight improvement in how you feel and maybe even your leg will improve; and if not, well, that's why they're gonna see you again in a few weeks.  

A tore-up back can create a lot of anxiety, it hurts and it affects the whole sense of well-being of a person, and if you find yourself getting too upset, just take some real deep breaths to calm yourself and lay down to relax.  I think because they gave you a back brace and ordered rest, this is what they would do anyway if you had fractured anything.  And if your spinal cord was in danger, your sense of feeling below the point of injury or any dramatic change in pain will guide you if anything really goes wrong, and you can go to the ER in that event.  

If it helps, when I fractured my back, for the first couple weeks, I was having trouble breathing and told the doc I thought I had busted up my ribs, too, and thus maybe punctured my lungs.  I didn't know then that the nerves were affecting my ability to breathe.  But anyway, when I finally got out of the hospital and went to an orthopedic specialist, he said there were undoubtedly some additional breaks of the posterior elements of the vertebrae.  But you see, even tho he decided this had to be true, my treatment would have been the same.  Well, hang in, I think you'll be a little more comfortable with all this in another week or so.
GG

[Kobraky]

heh thanks greg yea it really ***** being put out like this for now, I def feel like im older than I really am. Glad to hear some answers from someone with a similar story, the neuro said that the herniated disc is what he thinks is causing my leg to lose function basically but the herniated disc is actually at T8 and T9  so im starting to worry that maybe they are still missing something?

I had my MRI done at the hospital up here which i've heard ALOT of horror storys about ( people being sent home with broken bones being told they were not broken and things of that sort...) So I am starting to wonder if maybe I should try to get an MRI done at University of Michigan hospital i know they are good there.

Any other thoughts please post back it REALLY helps to have someone that has been through this kinda thing before.

Thanks again
Kyle

[ggreg]

Dear Kyle,
I appreciate you posting back, always helps me to hear a similar story to mine.  When you have your appointment in three weeks, assuming it's with the neuro, that's when the doc will go over your scan and report for you.  The reason your back is spasming is because the T8 locale is part of the nerves that wrap around your chest, like mine did, and those nerves ennervate the muscles that go laterally out from the spine, around your back, and to the front of your chest.  It's the T11 that goes down into your legs and causes those problems.  But you are just still in the acceptance stage of your injury, you tore up your back and it's going to take a while to get well, which is hard to deal with when you're in your 20s.  That's when you want to go-go-go, but you gotta rest instead.  Bummer.  But eventually things will get better and you'll be back at it, so hang in.  
GG

[Kobraky]

Thanks for all the help on here already, I had another MRI done and apparently my doctor says that i have scheummans disease? (sp?) luckily its not terribly bad form of it but still has made my discs susceptible to herniation >_< ....there was also from the injury that occurred  a herniated disc bulging out to the right which was the cause of the leg problems on the right side, still not sure why its causing the amount of back spasms
I am currently on skelaxin , hydrocodone 10/660apap and when they aren't doing the trick for the pain I am perscribed oxycodone 5mg, and i don't have it siting in front of me but a strong form of anti-inflamatory that is in the motrin family.I am also now wearing a back brace. The skelaxin helps alot with the spasms but....it really just knocks me out. the oxycodone works well if i take 1 1/2 tabs (5mg tabs )

I am see'ing what i've been told the #2 back and neck specialist in the county ( which is weird because i live in a very small town area ) he has been helpful but I haven't been able to get him to show me my xray / mri report and really walk me through them, I know his time is very precious but i think actually knowing what is going on is half of the battle.

As of right now I am currently just put off work on relaxation time basically...not supposed to lift much weight or do a whole lot of physical things. Have another appt with my doctor in 3 weeks and I am getting an LES injection at that time, and they will be re-assessing what o do next . Really finding the hardest part of this whole injury is just waiting ....

Thanks again for your help and story they really do help alot

Kyle

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Thank you for your question. Although without being able to examine you I can not offer you the specific advice on diagnosis and treatment that you need, but I would try to provide you some relevant information about your health concern.

After such back injuries disc prolapse condition can occur. By the reason of that nerves from the spinal cord can be irritated causing weakness in the leg, thigh pain and numbness, tingling. Few persons also face generalized body weakness and numbness due to other nerve irritation on back. If you suffer continuous weakness and notice reduced strength of muscle bulk in both the legs, please arrange an appointment with a neurologist right away who will evaluate the possibilities here. These “red flags” could be indicative of compression of the spinal cord and its nerve branches and early treatment is essential if permanent damage needs to be avoided. Further referral to a physiotherapist for spinal exercises could be beneficial and may produce relief of symptoms. Hope this helps.

Take Care & Stay Healthy!!!

[ggreg]

Kobraky,
Well, when I was a little younger than you, 20 years old, I had compression fractures of T-6, 7 and 8 when a car I was riding in went into a ravine, the vertebral disks vaporized on impact, and I wound up in the hospital for a couple months, deformed my spine into a curve to the right.  But I had fractures...you just have bulging disks, so they protected your bones from breaking, which is very fortunate.  But I know it still hurts like the devil.  Look up an anatomy illustration online to see how the nerves go out from that part of your spine.  Mine went all the way around my chest.  

From what I understand, bulging disks can be treated diff ways depending on how bad it is.  Sometimes just some good rest, medicines, maybe a back brace, and then physical therapy will get a person back to near normal, but it takes a while for the nerves to settle down so they don't hurt a lot.  Other times, people gotta get an operation on their disks if it's impinging on the spinal cord or causing the nerves not to work right.  But could be swelling has caused the nerves to your leg to temporarily not work well.  

I'm sure your doc will talk over your scan results and tell you what his treatment plan will be for you.  If you like, post back his findings and treatment plan, since your injury is similar to what happened to me.  And I know exactly how awful your injury feels, when you hurt your spine it has a global effect on your sense of well-being, and the pain is fiercesome.  And good for you trying to help somebody on the ice, but do not let snow and ice make you anxious in the future, just take some deep breaths if you notice any fear in the future and go on about your usual thing...just don't try to save anybody again!  Ha!
GG

[Kobraky]

Also wanted to mention that I lose total control / function of my right leg at time , causing me to fall if im not sitting down / holding onto something to keep me up.....

any idea what to think?!