[hope0615]

I am experiencing very bad back pain so I had an MRI and see a spine specialist in a week. I have had back pain since I was about 14 years old so for about 15 years now. It seems to be worse now. Things that have been tried are physical therapy, a steroid injection (this made the pain worse), tens unit, anti inflammatories, and a back brace. My pcp gave me vicodin 5-500 and said take 1 twice a day until I see the specialist. These don't seem to take the edge off at all. I have also been on ultram which doesn't do anything at all for it. I have a dip in about the middle of my back and this is where the pain seems to start but moves down to the top of my butt. The pain in the dip feels like someone stabbing a knife through my back and into my stomach then twisting it. I also have some numbness that comes and goes in the bottom of each foot. I am going to post my MRI results in hopes that someone can give me some idea of what it means and what might happen next in the treatment of this. Any information would be much appreciated as I'm in the dark on all of this and kind of freaked out since I'm only 29 and having all these issues. Thank you in advance.

MRI FINDINGS:
Alignment is anatomic. The paraspinous soft tissues are normal. Incidentally noted is chronic, mild ectasia of the distal thecal sac. The distal spinal cord and nerve roots of the cauda equina are normal in appearance. No bone marrow pathology is seen.

No significant abnormality is demonstrated at the T10-T11 through L3-L4 levels. There is no lumbar disc protrusion, spinal stenosis, or foraminal narrowing.

L4-L5: There is a posterior annular tear and a small, broad-based, left foraminal disc protrusion. There is mild left lateral recess narrowing. There is no nerve root displacement. There is no significant facet arthropathy. There is no spinal stenosis or foraminal narrowing.

L5-S1: There is disc degeneration and mild disc bulging. There is mild bilateral facet arthropathy. There is no spinal stenosis or significant foraminal narrowing.

The visualized upper sacrum is unremarkable.

Again thank you in advance to anyone who has any input for me.

[Wondergirl]

Have you ever been to a chiropractor, shiatsu practitioner, or acupuncturist?

Have you been doing yoga or tai chi?

[hope0615]

Have you ever been to a chiropractor, shiatsu practitioner, or acupuncturist?

Have you been doing yoga or tai chi?

I have been to a chiropractor and also have done accupuncture. Neither of these helped. I have issues sitting and standing for any amount of time so I think yoga or anything like that is out of the question. Bending in any way causes the pain to get worse.

[Wondergirl]

I had a bulging disc that inversion therapy corrected, and L4-L5 disc degeneration that affects my walking but isn't painful.

I am so sorry about your pain! I hope others (maybe our nurse expert) will post, and also hope that the doctor you will see will have some pain relief and answers for you.

[hope0615]

I had a bulging disc that inversion therapy corrected, and L4-L5 disc degeneration that affects my walking but isn't painful.

I am so sorry about your pain! I hope others (maybe our nurse expert) will post, and also hope that the doctor you will see will have some pain relief and answers for you.

Thank you. The previous MRI from 2007 only said slight bulge and slight protrusion so I'm assuming the condition is worse now. I didn't have much pain in it for years until about a month and a half ago. That was when the stabbing pain went through my back into my abdomen that feels like a knife being twisted. It's the kind of pain that hurts like heck but also makes me feel as if I am going to vomit. My pcp gave me enough meds to get me to my appointment but they don't seem to be strong enough. I guess it's better than nothing though. I have tried ibuprofen, tylenol arthritis, ultram, and now the vicodin 5-500. I had surgery on my hand and was on norco 10-325 and they took a little bit of the edge off. I absolutely do not want surgery because I'm afraid of the outcome. I am hoping the doc can just get my pain under control. I go see him on November 16th but it just seems like its years away while I'm hurting.

[Wondergirl]

Surgery was suggested to me, and I avoided it like the plague.

Are there exercises you can do in a sitting position or in whatever position you are comfortable and then build up to more strenuous ones? Even yoga can be done sitting and lying down. I'm thinking you need to build up the muscles around the spine.

Oh, and have you been taking glucosamine? It may help. It keeps me limber and moving around. I take about six of these a day.

[hope0615]

What is glucosamine for? I have actually thought about maybe trying to do aquacise thinking it may be easier because it would help me not feel the weight so much on my back. I have even lost weight thinking it would help. I thought it might be part of the problem. Here I am 50 pounds lighter and it has made no difference. I have been told to avoid surgery if I can because a lot of the time it makes a person worse. My dad had a slipped disc in his neck which he had surgery on and now he's worse. I think as long as I get relief from something I will be okay. I have kids and need to be able to be a "mom" and do everyday things that need to be done. How bad is your bulging disc?

[joypulv]

If you want a general idea of which spinal nerve is causing which pain, Google 'map of dermatomes.' Dermatomes are divisions of the skin according to each nerve.

I have sacral nerve pain that hits me in the abdomen and hurts and makes me nauseous, but not as bad as yours.

I hope you didn't and still don't carry toddlers around the house on one hip! Or carry anything. Don't bring your own groceries in (build a ramp and use a garden cart). Don't vacuum, because of the slight bending. Don't lean over the sink for very long, or the dishwasher. When you sit, make sure your feet are flat on the floor and knees are slightly raised, and keep moving a little in your chair, and adjusting your back.

The one time I had to take Vicodin, 500 mg didn't work nearly as well as 750. Naturally the idea is to keep you off such powerful drugs for the long term, and people do get dependent on them.

[hope0615]

If you want a general idea of which spinal nerve is causing which pain, google 'map of dermatomes.' Dermatomes are divisions of the skin according to each nerve.

I have sacral nerve pain that hits me in the abdomen and hurts and makes me nauseous, but not as bad as yours.

I hope you didn't and still don't carry toddlers around the house on one hip! Or carry anything. Don't bring your own groceries in (build a ramp and use a garden cart). Don't vacuum, because of the slight bending. Don't lean over the sink for very long, or the dishwasher. When you sit, make sure your feet are flat on the floor and knees are slightly raised, and keep moving a little in your chair, and adjusting your back.

The one time I had to take Vicodin, 500 mg didn't work nearly as well as 750. Naturally the idea is to keep you off such powerful drugs for the long term, and people do get dependent on them.

Thank you for replying. When my children were younger I did carry them on one hip a lot. They are 5 and 8 now so I don't have to carry them anymore. I get very intense pain when trying to stand at the sink to do dishes. When sitting I have to move constantly because I can't get comfortable. I do understand the pain med issue you are referring to. I was on darvocet for five years straight but that has been years ago. I just want a little relief. Can you explain to me why I shouldn't do anything that requires bending? I'm not understanding that.

[Wondergirl]

Google for glucosamine or look at this article by Mayo Clinic. If I take six a day, my flexibility improves greatly and I feel almost normal. You'd have to experiment with dosage for a couple of weeks to see if it helps you.

[teacherjenn4]

Have you tried medical massage therapy? I have chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain and it is very manageable when I go on a regular basis. It's not a fun or even relaxing massage. It's painful and causes bruising sometimes, but in a day or two I feel great. The therapists teach you how to stretch and help ease the pain.

[hope0615]

Google for glucosamine or look at this article by Mayo Clinic. If I take six a day, my flexibility improves greatly and I feel almost normal. You'd have to experiment with dosage for a couple of weeks to see if it helps you.

Thank you so much. I will have to look into this.