http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/ en Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:30:50 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/images/misc/rss.png http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/ http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/diagnostic-tests-spinal-injections/prolotherapy-2005/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:45:33 GMT My quiropractor recommended that I try prolotherapy for my SI joint pain. I want to first consult with my orthopedist before trying it, but I was... My quiropractor recommended that I try prolotherapy for my SI joint pain. I want to first consult with my orthopedist before trying it, but I was wondering if anyone here had tried it? I had never heard of this before today, but apparently it has been used since the time of Hippocrates. I don't think my pain management doctor does this, but a physiatrist in my area performs it, apparently with good results.

Thanks in advance!

claudia ]]> claudia http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/diagnostic-tests-spinal-injections/prolotherapy-2005/ http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/diagnostic-tests-spinal-injections/new-symptoms-my-neck-2002/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:28:24 GMT Oh, brother....I'm not sure what to do....this morning I started experiencing pain in my left bicep (it looks swollen compared to right bicep too) and so I took a hand mirror, lifted up my PJ top and looked at the back of my spine and neck.....and my left scapula is really sticking out, way more than the right. Not sure if it is related to my painful bicep but I'm pretty sure it is all related to my cervical issues. I am also experiencing bad headaches (I never get headaches) with my left earlobe flushed red. In addition, my lumbar spine looks quite crooked. :( Does anyone have any ideas what this scapula/bicep problem could be? Am I panicking? Because I feel like I need to go to Urgent Care. My head feels like it's going to explode.....CL ]]> Cindylou http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/diagnostic-tests-spinal-injections/new-symptoms-my-neck-2002/ http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/diagnostic-tests-spinal-injections/where-start-1992/ Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:01:39 GMT Hi everyone, This could be kind of long, so I am going to apologize right now, up front. Not sure where to start so I will just dive in. First... Hi everyone,

This could be kind of long, so I am going to apologize right now, up front. Not sure where to start so I will just dive in.

First my cervical: I have had ongoing cervical issues for years but have managed to keep them at bay with injections and cauterization of my facet nerves about once a year. While I was doing the x 2 right sided lumbar facet blocks, (per my insurance requirements preceding rhizotomy) I was also doing the cervical facet blocks on right side, x 2, on the off lumbar weeks. This morning was my second one. I got about 100% relief for a few hours, just like 2 weeks ago, but right this minute is another story. Pain is bad. I started looking over a cervical Cat Scan I had done from 3 years ago (I'm pretty sure I had one done a year ago, but cannot find it to save my soul). Here is a summary of my neck from 07: There is multi-level, moderate cervical and upper thoracic disc degeneration with moderate disc space narrowing @ C 4-5, C 6-7, moderate Schmorl's node type of deformities anteriorly @ T 1-2 and C 7-T1, with straightening of the cervical lordosis. At C 6-7 there is mild central canal stenosis with diffuse posterior bulging and retrolisthesis. There is severe foraminal stenosis seen on right at C 6-7 with broad based right lateral intraforaminal disc bulge, right sided uncinate spurring and right sided C 7 nerve root impingement. C 4-5 reads pretty much the same. There is an incidental note of a small intraosseous hemangioma within right C 5 lateral mass. And this is from 3 years ago. Yuck. I am just praying that insurance covers the cervical right sided rhizotomy and I get similar, long lasting, relief results because I just cannot cope with surgery on my neck. A year ago I met with a surgeon when the pain got real bad again and he recommended surgery, but.....I just am trying not to go there since I also still have significant, unresolved lumbar pain. I guess my question at this point is.....is there anything in the above summary that indicates I shouldn't keep putting it off? I realize we are all lay people (Justin almost the exception!) but still wanted to pick your brains.

On to my lumbar: I am so fatigued and tired of all the pain. And just so discouraged. I recently discovered that I had a sacral stress fracture that was not evident before my right SI Joint Fusion. Not sure what caused it, (the surgery? Dunno.) but it was never brought to my attention either. :mad: I also discovered on a Cat Scan record from this past Febuary that all the bone cement has not been removed in the S 1-2 area, where my surgeon did my ALIF and lami 2 years ago, and had to go back in, remember? And yet I clearly remember him telling me when he went back in that he removed it all. ?? WTF? In a nutshell, the lumbar Cat Scan from 02/10 of this year says I have moderate hypertrophic changes noted on margins of L 6-S 1, facet joints and contributes to moderate subarticular recess stenosis and S 1 nerve root impingement. There is also moderate, bilateral facet degeneration at each level of my 3 Prodiscs. There is a transitional L 6 vertebra with partial sacralization and ankylosis of a moderate sized left L 6- S 1 accessory articulation. I have a complex L 6-S1 facet joint that appears to be related to extensive calcification or ossification of the ligamenta flava and facet joint capsules bilaterally, and to hypoplastic or dysplastic facet morphology. There is also an incidental finding (or is it?) of moderate cysts bilaterally at S2 and a moderate sized perineural cyst on the right at S1. And this is a Cat Scan from Feb of this year. I am so discouraged. I just don't know what to do. I'm waiting and hoping insurance approves the right sided lumbar facet rhizotomy, but something tells me that may not touch all my pain generators. My low back pain has gotten so severe but pain management doesn't think an MRI is warranted since this lumbar Cat Scan was in Feb of this year. I can see their point. Should I just look at the....can't recall the medical name, a pain stimulator being installed in my body....I know that's not the right name, but the thing that is a last resort other than a pain pump. My heart is so heavy. Thanks for listening. Cindylou ]]> Cindylou http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/diagnostic-tests-spinal-injections/where-start-1992/ http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/diagnostic-tests-spinal-injections/right-facet-block-1899/ Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:39:22 GMT Good morning all, I met with pain management the other day for my monthly re-check. Now I meet with the nurse practioner, not the Dr. anymore,... Good morning all,

I met with pain management the other day for my monthly re-check. Now I meet with the nurse practioner, not the Dr. anymore, but I reviewed what happened at my appt. with the SI Joint surgeon, him saying my right SI Joint was fused, and how could the pain doc inject the joint when there was no joint left, blah, blah, blah. She said she would talk to the doctor about that. Meanwhile, my pain levels have not been good so we discussed my facets. I know they are arthritic, but I haven't had a lumbar MRI in a few years, so not sure how arthritic they are. We agreed a right sided facet block would be a good next step. My insurance is such that before I can have facet cauterization, I have to have a series of 2 blocks, spaced a few weeks apart, then that is submitted to insurance, and hopefully, I will get approval for the rhizotomy. So, my first block is tomorrow. Have to have a driver again. Running out of friends to ask for rides. :( Meanwhile, I managed to lose a script the nurse practioner wrote out for my fentanyl patches when I went in to see her 2 weeks ago to schedule the SI joint injection. I didn't know why she wrote it out, because I had enough till my regular appt. which was this week, and I was in the midst of all the grief with my bestfriend dying......so I think I accidentally threw it away. :eek: I remember first tucking the script in the box with my other patches, now it's not there. I just had too much going on, and of course they don't refill lost scripts, so I am without any fentanyl patches for the next month. :caffeine: She did refill my oral meds, so that's good. What a mess. I will keep you posted if I get any relief from this block on my right facets. Sure hope so. ]]> Cindylou http://www.spinepatientsociety.org/forum/diagnostic-tests-spinal-injections/right-facet-block-1899/