CHRONIC LOW BACK/HIP PAIN

[RockinCricket]

Hello:  I stumbled across this website group and everyone seemed extremely helpful.  Self diagnosing is such a tough thing - once you think you've got your symptoms licked - UP pops a new one.
Well here's mine --- would love anyone's input in helping me seek relief and I am happy to view and answer postings too!  No history of back problems, hypertension etc...until having 2nd child at age 33.  Experienced high blood pressure during pregnancy and traumatic c-section, resulting in multiple attemps to get spinal to work before surgery and severe shaking afterwards.  First noticed low back pain about 1 month after delivery. 1/07 Sharp, throbbing and sometimes feeling muscular [like a cramp], so visited my PCP and gave me tramadol for pain and an anti-inflammatory.  Been on it ever since.  I've tried everything including: chiropractor, accupunture, physical therapy, massage therapy etc.... most recently 12/08 have been going to a pain intervenionalist - and had facet injections, epidural and radio frequency procedure with NO relief!  It feels like arthritus at times and hurts most first thing in the AM and late at night.  Can ususally get by during the day with an ice pack every 4 hours.  Use heating pad too.  Still taking tramadol, and diclofenac (NSAID).  I really want to get off the tramadol because it causes severe constipation.  I have recently [under the care of a doctor] lost 20 pounds and it's helped a little. I just had an MRI on 1/20/09 and it matched the one on 10/07 with a normal report, except for some slight tethering around spinal cord [thickening of the spinal cord] that the doctor said shouldn't cause pain and I don't think that's the source.
HOW IN THE WORLD DO I GET RID OF THIS BACK PAIN ONCE AND FOR ALL???

[mercygracious]

Hi thereI Your symptoms sound alot like my mothers and now mine although I am still working on my situation and trying to sort it all out (don't know if that will ever happen) but....anyway...have you had your vitamin d checked?  I recently started experiencing alot of new symptoms added to my old symptoms and the most recent ones to me could suggest that some of my problems (maybe not all, although it is possible) could be related to a vitamin d deficiency.  I am 43 yrs old and have been to every doc imaginable only to find that no one has ever tested my vitamin d.  How strange!!!  Docs need to go back to school.  I mean with all the talk you hear every day about the importance of it why in the world don't they make a point to check these things????????  Anyway, my mother has osteoporosis and complains about the same symptoms as you and I have been experiencing them as of lately.  My vitamin d was extremely low and my doctor whom I had only seen the one time told me to take 55000 iu once per week for 6 wks.  I called them back and told them I was scared of taking large dosages of meds and I knew vitamin d could be toxic if you overtake it so they told me to take 1000 iu per day so that is what I have done over the past couple of months.  I think I should have listened to my doc this particular time though because things arent improving much and I feel the larger dose is what I needed now.  Recently, went to my family doc to have the vitamin d rechecked and he said it is in the normal range but to me is still way to low.  The first time they checked it , it was 18 and this time by a different lab it turned up 37.  He said they recommend a level around 32.  I disagree.  I have done my research and that is really on the low side of low.  So, now I have got to go back to the first doc and have it checked again by their labs to see what it is so that I can have an accurate comparison.  Anyway, long story short you should have yours checked if you haven't already and along with that you need to have your calcium and phosporous and magnesium checked!!!!!  Also, it would not hurt for you to get a bone density test.....This can tell you alot!!!!!  Don't know what your age is but it can't hurt.   Like I said my mother experiences this all the time and they have let hers go too long and now she is not in such a good place because of it!!  Let me know what you come up with!!!!!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
Low back ache is very common after spinal analgesia and repeated attempt to get the analgesia would cause more damage. Maintaining a good posture goes a long way in overcoming this type of pain. You can wear a lumbar belt to give support to the back muscles while you are working. Physiotherapy should work to strengthen the back muscles.  There are certain treatments and reports that may benefit you: http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/cgi/reprint/84/2/376.pdf
Toxicity of local anesthetics and arachnoiditis can both be the cause for the back ache: http://www.arachnoiditis.info/content/epidural_anaesthesia_and_arachnoiditis/epidural_anaesthesia_and_arachnoiditis.htm
See if your neurologist can rule out arachnoiditis.
However some studies report that there is no link between spinal anesthesia and backache.
It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!