young person with spinal stenosis

[Maureen16]

My 22 year old son, a college student, with no history of MVAs or injuries has lumbar spinal stenosis.  He is currently seeing a pain mgmt specialist and has had two epidurals, which have not helped.   His hips are also out of alignment and the pain mgmt dr will do a realignment but is waiting for the pain to cease.  He also wants to do another epidural which he is calling an "s.i."    He put my son on Lyrica.  My son is a college student trying to finish school.  I would like to know if any other treatments would help him:  something holistic, chiropractic care, deep heat massage or physical therapy.   Also, my son has heart arrhythmia problem and in July was taken off meds.  At one time he had double and triple extra beats but they are now down to one extra beat.  I am very, very concerned about his care in light of the heart condition.  All I seem to see is surgery for this problem.  Can you help?

[sandee1818]

Your welcome:)
Yes, please let us know how the next appointment goes.
We as Mom's are always worried about our children even when they are 22 and older.
I know it is so hard to see your son in pain and feel kinda helpless so whatever questions you may have we will answer the best we can.
I hope he is doing better very soon:)

[Maureen16]

Thank you very much for your informative post!  I was wondering why the doctor doesn't just do the realignment but he keeps telling my son that he has to be without pain in his leg or else the pain will get worse!  I don't quite understand that reasoning.  I did read about the sacroiliac joint dysfunction, which also was very, very informative.  His next appt is 11/3.  I will report back after that time.  Thank you again!

[sandee1818]

These are some things you can do for pain control other than than traditional medications.



Studies suggest that a low-fat, high-fiber diet may help to stave off aches and pains. In addition, certain anti-inflammatory spices, such as ginger, cinnamon, and cilantro, may have therapeutic effects
and play an important role in chronic pain management.


The National Pain Foundation endorses a comprehensive list of nontraditional remedies, below. See which ones work for you:

Acupuncture.
This ancient Chinese practice involves inserting long, thin needles into various points on the body. The idea behind this is that optimal health is achieved when energy flows freely through
the body, and the needles remove any blockages of this energy.
Acupuncture has been used successfully to alleviate pain from musculoskeletal issues as well as headaches.
Massage.
Not just a perk for wealthy spa-goers, massage has in recent years come to be recognized as important to overall health.
It reduces muscle tension and stress, can relieve soreness, and may
even boost your immune system.

Massage.
Not just a perk for wealthy spa-goers, massage has in recent years come to be recognized as important to overall health.
It reduces muscle tension and stress, can relieve soreness, and may
even boost your immune system.

Biofeedback.
This teaches you to focus on your body's response to pain and stress via a monitoring system that gives off sounds or visual cues whenever your muscles tense.
Eventually you become able to use nothing more t
than conscious thought to change your physiological response to a particular type of stress on your body.

Hypnosis.
Popular as a cure for smoking as well as overeating, hypnosis can also be used to manage pain.
A trained clinician induces an altered state of consciousness, making you more receptive to suggestions of behavioral changes that can reduce your pain.
For instance, if you suffer from chronic lower back pain,
under hypnosis you might be taught to visualize your back muscles opening up. Some people can even learn to hypnotize themselves.

Guided imagery.
This involves imagining yourself in a peaceful setting.
The more detailed the scene, the more your mind can truly transport you out of your discomfort and into the soothing scene.

Health-food stores are full of herbal supplements purported to reduce pain, but be careful.
The FDA does not regulate these supplements, and some of them have negative side effects, particularly when combined with over-the-counter pain medications.

[sandee1818]

there are many holistic approaches available but they are targeted at controlling the pain and not really correcting the problem. Is your son's pain being controlled at this point?
Also the realignment may help a great deal. The injections help some and some they do not, it depends on the person and the doctors experience in giving them.
My doctor is totally against them as they do have side effects and he feels the amount of relief given is not worth the side effects from the medication. of course each and every doctor has their own views on this. If they help him then great but if they are not I would not get them at all. Just my opinion there.
Since he is so young the best treatment I believe is surgery to try and correct the problem instead of simply treating the problem.
I will post a list of holistic and natural approaches for you.
Please let us know how he is doing.