Hi spanky,

It's obvious that the spinal column is being pinched by the vertabrae in the MRI photo. The spinal cord has the consistency of jello, which kind of floats back and forth. This may cause major pain, followed by relatively pain-free periods of time. Other people are in major pain constantly. It is definitely an individual science. What works for some people doesn't work for all.

I had a major back injury 2 years ago - in which bulging discs, L4 and L5, pinched the cord. The hospital held me for 4 days, in order to get my pain somewhat controlled. I got an injection (I think a steroid??) into my spinal cord, and began physical therapy. Neurosurgery saw me, and offered to do surgery. I was blown away! I definitely didn't want surgery for it. Although my pain was intense, surgery was a last resort for me. There are no guarantees that the surgery will work on controlling the pain. From surgery on, there are weight-lift restrictions. There are other difficulties that can possibly come along. Pain was beyond intense for 2 months and very slowly became controlled. I worked hard with physical therapy to regain strength in my back, and it worked well. After 4 months, I was allowed to go back to work (as a CNA - have to be able to lift 50 lbs). Physical therapy usually isn't speedy for such an injury, but I'm slim and my back is generally strong. That made recovery easier for me. I've since had another MRI, which still shows some pinching of the spinal cord, but the pain is usually gone. I've also experienced rare occurances of difficulty moving my legs - they become totally straight and stiff, difficulty walking when it hits. Thankfully, only had that occur maybe 5 times total. My last time was 8 months ago.

Just my experience. I wish you the very best!
Shez