major back pain

[mybackhurtsalot]

I have been fighting back pain for years, but it has gotten much worse in the past year.  I have had MRI's done on the lumbar and thoracic sections of my spine.  MRI shows slightly buldging disc at L4-L5 and X-ray says L5 is a transitional vertebral body, whatever that means.  MRI of thoracic shows Shmorl's nodes throughout the thoracic region and a X-ray I just had for another reason said there is mild anterior compression of T10 through T12 and that they are old.  I am wondering if I have this also throughout the thoracic region.

The majority of my pain starts where my neck joins my body and goes down to the bottom of my shoulder blades.  It literally feels like I am being shocked all of the time.  I am going to pain management and have had numerous injections and just went through radio ablasion on T1-T5 on both sides, helped some on the right side, none on the left.  Pain goes way under my shoulder blades and the muscle on top of my shoulders up to my neck has pain that is debilitating at times.  I still work every day and will continue to unless I cannot walk, but if anyone has any ideas of what I should do, I am open to all options.  I get prescribed meds, but refuse to take the strong ones because I do not like feeling emotionally numb.  

[brad2325]

Sorry to hear about your pain, I would ask your doctor or neuro possibly about physical therapy, I don't know if that is an option but it worked for me when i had some back issues.  Hope all goes well.  GOD BLESS

[mybackhurtsalot]

Thanks so much for all the advice.  Worked today but my pain is so bad that it literally made me lose my lunch 3 times.  Vicodin and Flexoril is not touching it.  Feel like giving up hope but I have a 17 year old son that won't let me do that.  I will mention to my doctor these other things.  Should I request a X-ray or MRI of my cervical spine ?  they have not checked that area yet.  Nuerologist acts like I am taking up his time and sends me to pain management who pretty much tells me I'm screwed and to just take meds.  

[ggreg]

Dear MyBackHurts,
Just to add a couple things.  I had compression fractures in the thoracic spine a long time ago, and recently the deformity has affected my low back, which I have to take Codeine and Lyrica to ease the pain.  The drugs do mess up my balance and I can't drive for a couple hours afterwards, my thinking slows, but if I didn't take that stuff, I couldn't do ANYTHING.  So, I just wanted to respond as to how your back is worse and mine is too, and the similarity of our problems, and how I am being treated.  Plane X-rays of my back show dreadful crumbling, wasting, and misplaced thoracic vertebral bodies, no disks, but the only clue about my lower back pain is its tilt position from the years of pressure from the upper curvature.  I don't have enough money to do an MRI, but eventually I'll have to, because I worry about untreated nerve damage.

Also, I have a couple tricks that help my thoracic spine a lot, might help you.  One is to carefully lay down flat on the floor with your legs up on the couch, scoot up close, let your arms fall the side.  This straightens out and takes all the pressure off the back and makes the upper torso area discomfort much less after a few minutes.  Another is "extensor exercises" that I learned in physical therapy, which after 30 years I still do, and one is to pull the arms backwards until you feel the muscles tighten between your shoulder blades, then come around with arms folded in front to stretch.  Also, keeping the tummy muscles strong helps the lower back.  I suppose you could try acupuncture.  A couple good deep massage treatments broke up a lot of muscle fiber scars in my back one time, when my backache was so bad I was crying nonstop and walking in a crouched stoop.
GG

[PaulMD]

Hi there.

I'm sorry to hear that you are in these much pain.  I believe that your spine lesions have a lot to do with these pain but I would just like to mention another condition called fibromyalgia which may explain your additional symptoms.  Fibromyalgia can intensify your present pain sensations especially if you have non-restorative sleep.  You also usually develop tender spots in certain areas in the body.  Treating this would require some form of anti-anxiety or anti-depression medications.  I suggest that you discuss this possibility with your doctor and I hope that you can be rid of this pain soon.

Regards and God bless.