Quote:
Originally Posted by ncmommy
Hello everyone! My name is Carey, I recently turned 37 years old, am a mother of 4 + a step son, and the grandmother of 2 wonderful grand daughters. I was working as a CNA, while pursuing my Associate/Bacholar degree in nursing. I was working in a nursing home, and loved my job. I was kicked by a resident in my lower back, 12/5/10, and have not been the same since.
I have had X-rays, a MRI, PT, TENS unit, 2 trigger point injections, an epidural injection, with another one coming up this week, I feel like I live on pain meds. I have not been able to work, and have days that I cant even seem to get out of bed. I have trouble doing even the normal daily activites. Am currently seeing an orthopedic specialist and have recently been refered to pain management.
A few of the symptoms I deal with are:
Severe lower back pain
Pain in neck & shoulders
Numbness & tingleing in buttocks area going down into legs. Mainly the right..Right goes down into my toes, but the left seems to stop at my knee.
Severe stiffness
Cant sit or walk more than 30min. at a time without pain in back, legs, and numbness starting
If i lift more than 10lbs. if shoots pains up my spine.
Have recently starting experiencing what feels like bees stings in my spine and down my right leg.
Have become very forgetful and forget things easily.
Do not sleep more than 3-4hrs per night
The list goes on and on, but those are a few of the main ones.
I have a copy of the MRI and the biggiest issues are see are:
L2-L3-Minimal posterior disc protusion
L3-L4- minimal posterior disc protusion with focal left foraminal protusion.
L4-L5- Mild broad posterior disc protusion, small bilateral annular tears. Mild bilateral facet hypertrophy. Right foramen if unremarkable, Mild left neural foramen stenosis.
L5-S1- Very mild broad posterior disc protusion. Bilateral facet hypertrophy. Mild bilateral neural foramen narrowing, left is slightly worse that the right.
impression:
mutilevel degenerative changes of the lumbar spine.
Due to it beinng WC, the doctors I hae been seeing, have not really explained anything to me about this MRI or what I can expect.
If anyone has any input in this, it would be greatly appreciated,as i am to a point I have no idea what to do anymore!!!!!
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Hello - I can help 'decipher' some of these findings:
A 'protrusion' is a type of herniation. The other type of herniation is called an 'extrusion'. Protrusions are more shallow and broad based - as opposed to extrusions. I typically put measurements on the size of herniations because it really helps further clarify the severity. Using mild/mod/severe is more subjective.
So - the report is saying that you have herniations at mult levels. These could all be degenerative or 'chronic' BUT, if you had a recent injury then they could also be acute. Really the only way to tell for sure is if you had an old study to compare.
Using the word 'degenerative' is very common in radiology reports - and lots of pathology in the spine is degenerative, but I typically don't use that word because then the referring physician (or insurance company) assume everything is chronic when it may not be!
Hope this helps...
mridoc