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Osteo Arthritis, Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease and maybe Sciatica
Hello.
I was diagnosed with Osteo Arthritis and Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease some 10 - 12 years ago which affects mostly my back, hips and shoulders but also my knees and neck and as time has gone by the pain has become increasingly worse.
Recently an x-ray to my lumbar spine revealed this:
Minor reduction of the L1 and L2 on the behalf of the superior endplates anteriorly. Presence of transitional lumbar vertebra (L6). Presence of marginal osteophytes. Narrowing of the disc space.
A recent previous hip x-ray reported 'both hips show mild degenerative changes'.
A few years later I was diagnosed with Sciatica also.
What I'd like to know is what the x-ray results mean (in lay terms please!) and why the wordage makes it sound like I have a 'mild' everything whilst the pain levels I suffer would not concur. I can barely walk 20 - 25 yards without having to sit - before I fall.
Thanks in advance
keithy397
I was diagnosed with Osteo Arthritis and Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease some 10 - 12 years ago which affects mostly my back, hips and shoulders but also my knees and neck and as time has gone by the pain has become increasingly worse.
Recently an x-ray to my lumbar spine revealed this:
Minor reduction of the L1 and L2 on the behalf of the superior endplates anteriorly. Presence of transitional lumbar vertebra (L6). Presence of marginal osteophytes. Narrowing of the disc space.
A recent previous hip x-ray reported 'both hips show mild degenerative changes'.
A few years later I was diagnosed with Sciatica also.
What I'd like to know is what the x-ray results mean (in lay terms please!) and why the wordage makes it sound like I have a 'mild' everything whilst the pain levels I suffer would not concur. I can barely walk 20 - 25 yards without having to sit - before I fall.
Thanks in advance
keithy397
Best Answer
Hi Niko,
Thanks for your very informative response which I'll follow through very soon.
One thing I forgot to mention is that I was an Airborne Soldier for 9 years in the 70's and early 80's and did over 200 descents. I'm just wondering if that's also an underlying cause for the pain? The only injury I recall (apart from frequent bumps and bruises and sore posterior!) is splitting a bone once, medial malleolus I think was mentioned.
Cheers,
keithy397
Thanks for your very informative response which I'll follow through very soon.
One thing I forgot to mention is that I was an Airborne Soldier for 9 years in the 70's and early 80's and did over 200 descents. I'm just wondering if that's also an underlying cause for the pain? The only injury I recall (apart from frequent bumps and bruises and sore posterior!) is splitting a bone once, medial malleolus I think was mentioned.
Cheers,
keithy397
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You may be a candidate for "Tension Myositis Syndrome" treatment.
This is a condition, unfortunately, not widely recognized by the medical profession, as it not an "established" medical condition.
You may want to research under this condition or Dr. John Sarno, who is and expert in this field of medicine.
There are some very informative YouTube
video clips (7) of an extensive interview with Dr. Sarno.
Your x-ray report does not indicate any extensive or serious deterioration
and it is actually consistant with almost normal age related "wear and tear"
findings, so the original diagnosis puzzles me a bit.
And by the way, your L6, puts you in a special group, as occurs very rarely
(most people do not a have this "extra" vertabrae)
Now having said this, it is not just the density of the bone structure or the degree of loss (as long as it is not significant) that matters in osteoarthritis, but also the mineral composition and any underlying infectious condition(s).
BMD ( bone mineral density) may be easy to measure, but it is not particularly predictive of fractures, pain and other problems, which is the outcome most patients care about.
One overlooked and equally important ( even perhaps of greater importance ) factor is bone flexibility. Collagen levels, B- vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin K2 along with osteocalcin status make up the collagen matrix that supports the mineral composition.
Muscle tone and strength must be maintained, in order to help support the body and to aleviate somewhat the load on the spinal column.
Underlying infectious conditions are probably the most difficult to detect and treat as mainstream medicine does not address this.
You may want to do a search under Dr. Garth Nicolson here in Medhelp,
as he has been contributing his expert opinion in this forum over the years.
He is an expert in difficult to detect pathogenic infections, underlying various conditions, such as FMS, Arthritis, CFS, GWI and many other.
The answer to your question should be found in the aforementioned
possibilities, but please note that this is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.
There are a few alternative things you can do to improve your condition.
Please post again or message me directly if you prefer.
Best wishes!
Niko