Any advis???????????
 

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!!!!!

Is the Otho a spine rehab specialist?
I'd look for a rehab specialist that will do/ Rx expert spine therapy.
Some places/drs will specialize more than others.

I've been to mediocre PT places and advanced PT places, advanced is much better.

I know wc is a pain in it's own.

About the pain in neck & shoulders, did you have any of that before the kick?
but could be myofascial pain related..

My chiro uses other modalities also like low level laser, IF stim, trigger point , etc.

If you can get wc to approve a body worker specialist or possible pay cash on the side if you can find a really good one..but you don't want to mess up your claim...

my experience
 

I have 3 bulging disk, and arthritis condition on all facets of the lower back ( MY MRI report) and also I had neck pain , for 7 month. here is what I have done, which has helped tremendously :
1/ I am doing realignement technique with egoscue therapy
2/ treat you own neck by robin mc kensies
3/ some yoga from yoga for scoliosis by miller
4/ core strenghtening isometrics. like plank, camel and bridge.
5/ trigger point therapy ( last 10 days)

I have had sciatica, ( pain and numbness in my hand and leg) for the last 7 month. it was scary.. I got rid of all numbness in neck and pain. gone with the therapy above, but also by doing trigger point therapy in neck in trapezius and neck muscle. ( trigger point therapy workbook by clair davies)

I have no more back pain due to the therapy of stretching and core strenghtening,, but I still have wide spread pain in my leg, and I realized that my sciatica is due to muscles pain, not from my back ... months of doing nothing and stress = knoted muscle
DO A TEST AS FOLLOW :
take any of your sore muscle, or referred pain, and find a sore point in the muscle, expecially if your muscle feels tight. If that sore point (feels like a band of hard tissue ) and is excruciating when you rolling a tennis ball firmly on it, then you may have trigger point, and muscle pain, which can block nerve and mimic nerves compression. especially if you don't have sciatica due to a herniated disk, ( get someone to do a leg raise test)

I thought for all those months that my leg numbness and leg pain and neck pain was due to nerve compression, but now, I am not so sure... I only started my trigger point therapy 10 day ago, ( I was very dubious about it,) and in 10 days my neck is great, but my leg are still quite sore from the massage, (8 times a day very exausting, I just bought a thera cane to help doing it ) but overall, less pain and a feeling of relaxation in my muscle. I do suffer also from lack of sleep and take melatonin which help.

this has being my experience, I was sent home by the doctor with meds, but I can't take any of it, because it is messing up my digesting system. I think I am on the right track. it just going to be slow, as I have being in constant pain for 7 month. By the way you could also have piriformis symptoms for you leg pain, and trigger point therapy is the best with exercises and stretch. I had a very tight piriformis, and now my leg pain seems to be more in the hamstring and calves. as I amdiscovering more knotted muscle.
bonne chance.
virginie
3'/ and now for the last 10 days

Other folks here are good at interpreting images & reports. My input (and I rarely say this because it often/usually isn't anyone's fault) is get a personal injury/wc lawyer quick. This apparently is someone's fault, and the clock may be running.

Doc

Its imperative you see a neur or ortho who can explain your MRI and start a tretment plan. I was in your shoes until I found the right doc. As time passes you could be injurying yourself more plus the lack of sleep with pain put me into a deep depression. With 4 kids depression and pain was not an option for me. Search until you find a Doc that can put you on the right track. I would hate to give you advice that could hurt you or is incorrect. I wish you well and hope you find the help you need. Be well... Linda

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!!!!![/QUOTE]

Hello! We have a lot in common....in addition I worked years in orthopedics and have lots of experience with trigger points, fusions, lamis, etc. If the trigger points helped AT ALL I would recommend continuing with treatment for this reason....a LOT of my patients would explain how they have a build up effect and after a few months of on time treatments they would feel much relief. However, there are some people that TPI's have no affect on at all and if thats the case they are TOO expensive to continue if your getting no relief. Botox is also a new treatment that they are using for nerve pain control in orthopedics. Its AWESOME because it works by paralyzing the nerves that cause you pain....Idk if it would be beneficial for your specific diagnosis(s) but its worth checking out. Nice to meet you and I look forward to hearing if you find anything that gives you relief as it may be something I can try as well! :hug:

I second the recomendation that you get a w/c lawyer. Nobody else will advocate for you properly if you have a job related injury. I don't recall seeing recomendation for water therapy. It sure would be soothing and sometimes soothing is good enough.................for the time being and allows you to do your exercises better. Best wishes.

Hi Carey,
I had all the same symptoms. no sleep, pain all over. super depressed..
My MRI showed bulging disk on all lower back . plus degenerative arthritis on all facets joints of lower back. I had sciatica for 8 month, but I am getting very slowly out of this nightmare with the following :
egoscue technique realignement (peter egoscue)
yoga for scoliosis
core strenghtening isometrics ( made a huge difference in my spine stability)
all that was helping but I had still foot pain, leg pain, trapezius, neck pain, nerves numbness in my arms.
I started to do trigger point therapy ( trigger point therapy work book by clair davies ) on all my sore points ( 8 session per day) and I got my husband to do some ART active release therapy on my legs (could not find a therapist where I live.) with video from Youtube. it has being 5 weeks and the pain is my back is gone, neck pain gone, some remaining in trapezius if I have more pain. My pain is manly in my hamstring. still having trouble sleeping, and anxiety is an issue.
I am taking melatonin at night for my insomnia
I have quit all sugar ( which has being a huge difference in my anxiety )

I have fought this for 8 months.
It look like my sciatica is not due to my bulging disk, but due to my hamstring ( chronic tenditonis) ( got rid of my foot/ calves pain with trigger point ) I am going to see a sport medecine therapist next week ( will see if that can help)
I think there is a lot of things you can do to help your pain, I guess, everyone is looking only to the MRI and the scary results, there is a lot more then just the joint... and I can't take any drugs because my digestive systems won't take it. ( only ibuprofen)
hope this help virginie

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