Lower Back Pain
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Mon, 11/02/2009 - 15:50
lower back pain, help
hello everyone. my mri came back normal. my appointment went alright. i have lower back pain and no dought about it, it hurts. its where my hips meet my back on both sides, and up. the pain stops and mid back but irritates all of my back with muscle spasms along with that my spine pops out of place when i try doing any kind of work, and that makes me very irritated. and no i'm not a baby when it comes to pain, i usually just walk it off. i've relazized that my back wasn't getting any better so i went to seek professional help.
so this doctor told me to do lumbar core exersizes. i told him that i've tried these exersizes and they popped my spine out of place and he told me that that it'll happen. i'm no docotor but wouldn't this damage something? is their something that'll make this an easier process?
i don't want to have bad posture because this assumed i just needed to strengthin up my core. I have a feeling that he thinks that my back isn't in pain cuz everytime i told him he said yeah "sore". i kno the difference and no its not sore. i'm gonna get a few more opinions before i put myself through this.
does an mri show everything ?
would i b in pain if my lumbar core isn't strong ?
what do you guys think ?
any suggestions ?
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also do i have to be in pain when taking an mri? to show abnormalities?
Hi there,
Whilst it would be totally unprofessional (and against the rules of this forum) to comment on your MRI, I can tell you about mine.
My 1st MRI showed absolutely nothing wrong, except for age-related degenerative changes. I was in exactly the same type of pain you describe so I waited and waited, with the pain becoming worse, for my PCP /GP to do something constructive, aside from placating me with a 'winning smile' (not).
He did nothing, so to cut a long story short, after waiting for 6 months, I paid to have it done privately (healthcare in the UK is free).
This 2nd MRI showed a collapsed disc, DDD and 2 trapped spinal nerves, allowing me to receive proper care and treatment, without being accused of inventing the pain.
Does that help to answer your question?!
Val
DDD; collapsed disc; nerve impingement
Nerve blocks; facet injections
sry i did not understand your first sentence.
don't kno what question that answered. so i'm supposed to keep hurting myself till something wrong happens?
I think that the point is that you need to keep seeing different docs. There are other procedures that are used to diagnose what is causing spinal pain. MY Pain Management Dr was the one that finally diagnosed and treated my particular back issues. That was after a few years of seeing different spinal specialists including a surgeon. Often it does take seeing more than one doc before we get the answer to our pain especially if it is something that does not show up on an MRI. Good luck and keep us posted.
I am in no way associated with the medical field. Anything that I post comes from personal experience only.
DDD, Facet Arthropathy, DJD,Collapsed Disc, Sleep Apnea
PT, Epidurals, Facet Blocks,Medial Branch Block, Rhizotomy,Discogram,Annular Tare L3/L4 Endoscopic MicroD and PLDD,
Methadone, Percocet, Baclofen, Welbutrin
What val was trying to say is that we are not supposed to try to interpret others' MRIs since we are not medical professionals. But what val was trying to indicate to you was that, in HER CASE, nothing was evident on the first MRI. It came back normal. But when another MRI was done, it revealed many structural problems.
I would suggest you take your MRI to another spinal specialist and get a second opinion. There are certain conditions that do not show up on a MRI and all MRI facilities are not equal. Some have better MRI scanners than others...more highly powered, more detailed, etc. Also some radiologists are better at interpreting results than others.
If physical therapy does not help your situation, then I would keep looking for answers.
Good luck to you.
Gwennie
spondylolisthesis at L4-5; stenosis at L3-4 and L4-5
radiculopathy for about 3 years
PLIF (L4-L5)in Jan '08 (PEEK cage, rods & Screws, BMP); continued radiculopathy....
Lami-foraminotomy L5-S1 Jan '09; continued radiculopathy;
Bulging discs L3-4 & L5-S1; crazy screwed-up S1 nerve
***** I have no medical training and am in no way connected with the medical profession, other than doing my part to keep them at full employment. My posts are based on personal experience and knowledge gained through the adventures of living. Take them for what they are worth....
Apologies not to have been more clear in my answer.
Not to knock any radiologists within the NHS in the UK, private facilities over here have the radiologists who are selected from the NHS because they are excellent at their job and the ones who aren't as good are never asked.
The same goes for neurosurgeons.
Facilities are different in the private sector too (not necessarily better or worse, but different).
Combining all these factors, you could get one MRI which shows 'no abnormalities' and when done at another facility with different radiologists reporting on the MRI in question, it could show 'collapsed disc / trapped spinal nerves.
If there is any further confusion, then please refer to JJ's and Gwennie's replies, who both understood what I was saying.
Val
PS If you're lucky enough to get the good neurosurgeons, radiologists and facilities first time at the first place you try (and I know at least one person!), that's fantastic.
It's just that I wasn't, so all I am saying is 'shop around if you're still in pain'.
DDD; collapsed disc; nerve impingement
Nerve blocks; facet injections
As Gwennie said, sometimes the MRI can be misinterpreted and doesn't always show everything. I had severe spasms, inability to walk more than a few feet, etc. and was told my MRI was normal. I had to go to see my NS for follow up on a neck fusion, he took flexion/extension x-rays of my back and knew immediately what was wrong. I had spondylolisthesis and needed fusion.
So, as you can see, it's good to get another opinion. You know you having something wrong.
Best wishes to you,
Marianne
Rheumatoid and osteoarthritis
C5/6 fusion 1/08
L4/5 fusion 7/08
thank you everyone for your help